All hail Arroyo

Published May 09 2006, 04:23 PM by Adam Reilly

He's not Boston's favorite local politician for nothing, folks. At-large city councilor Felix Arroyo just announced that he'll donate half* of his proposed $12,500 pay raise to charity if it goes through.

Personally, I wish he'd just given away the whole thing. Still, this is a commendable and politically savvy move by Arroyo, who was one of just two councilors (Chuck Turner was the other) to oppose the pay-raise package that breezed through City Hall with no public input. It'll be interesting to see if any other councilors follow his lead.

[*NOTE: I initially wrote that Arroyo was donating the full $12,500. That's what I get for reading the headline and nut graf and skimming the rest...Anyway, thanks to Chris Cagle for setting me straight.]

Here's the full press release:

Arroyo announces he will donate salary increase

BOSTON— On Tuesday, May 9^th, at-Large Boston City Councillor Felix D. Arroyo announced that he has decided to donate additional monies received from the recent increase in City Councillor salaries to charity.

Last week, the Boston City Council voted to increase the annual salaries of the Mayor of Boston, top Administration officials, and the City Councillors themselves. Councillors Arroyo and Turner opposed the increase. The Ordinance increasing salaries has not yet been officially approved and may need to overcome additional legal obstacles.

If and when the increases occur, Councillor Arroyo has decided to donate additional net salary received for a period of six months. He will establish a separate charitable account with those amounts and make donations to local organizations and individuals dedicated to promoting peace and/or to improving the lives of Boston’s youth.

“I opposed the recent decision to increase our own salaries, since I felt that there were more urgent needs that should have been fulfilled with those additional monies,” said Arroyo. “I hope that my decision to donate my personal salary increase will encourage other public officials in Boston to do the same.”