'Forced to take this pay raise': Quincy City Councilors are collecting the raise they promised to repeal

"The previous council voted the raises into law without a single public hearing and without reviewing the salaries of any similar elected positions. This process or lack thereof, eroded the public trust and inspired several of us here to run for office."

"The new councilors are unable to immediately repeal or change the raises due to state laws and the Quincy city charter. Yuan, a new councilor, campaigned to rescind the raises and instead tie any increases to the average raises of city workers."

In a historic election, Quincy voters ousted five incumbent City Council members in November, with seven new faces joining in January. The outgoing council approved 50 percent salary increases for councilors, raising compensation from $29,128.65 to $44,500 annually, effective this year. The raise process lacked public hearings and transparency, eroding public trust and motivating candidates to run for office. Many newly elected officials plan to donate portions or all of their raises. The new councilors face legal constraints preventing immediate repeal due to state laws and city charter provisions. They are pursuing ordinances to rescind both council and mayoral raises, with proposals to tie future increases to average city worker raises instead.

Read at Boston.com