I think the comparison to other mayors is not really genuine...the mayor of Medford has been mayor for over 20 years, if a new mayor is elected, he would start at the base pay and get raises as he went along...Dolan has 10 years...in tough economic times or any time, a 25% raise is selfish...he knew what the pay was and accepted it, maybe he shouldn't have run for reelection if he can't survive on about $100k a year plus fabulous government benefits...

    Not reported here, was the real  highlight of the  meeting Monday evening  when a courageous   Aldermen, Jaclyn Lavender Bird, mentoned what went on behind the scenes. 

      She was told by the Mayor on Dec. 14 that he would seek a 26 percent pay increase. She replied it was higher than she expected and could not support it as setting a bad precedent. His response was, “Now that  McClaughlin is on this, you won’t have a choice.” On Jan. 11, after many calls from McClaughlin, she told him she had nothing against the Mayor, to which McLaughlin said if she did not agree, he would "have to get 300 people to the hearing". She explained that she voted based on what she thinks is right whether that decision is popular or not. Two minutes later the Mayor called.  She reiterated her position and endured “35 minutes of the Mayor screaming”.  

She didn’t want to embarrass anyone but she wanted to make it crystal clear that “this kind of behavior will not be tolerated on this matter or any matter”.

Turns out she was not the only Aldermen  who “got the treatment” if they were in opposition.  One Alderman who voted in favor said he never got any intimidating phone calls.  No wonder. He was going to vote “Yes”. Chicago-style politics is not what we need in Melrose.

There are so many distasteful elements to this affair that it makes you want to hold your nose for a month:

---An incredibly arrogant mayor, who thinks he deserves a whopping 25 percent pay raise, without regard to the judgment of his work and just because people in other towns make more than he does;

--The same said arrogant mayor publicly campaigning for the raise;

--the mayor's supporters, sending e-mails, adding to the campaigning and soliciting support for the raise;

--a so-called human resources director, who apparently works for the mayor, making an argument that he deserves the raise simply because of what other communities pay their people;

--most of the aldermen, who are rolling over and saying 'yes' to this greedy grab.

If Mr. Mayor isn't satisfied with his current six figures, let him find a job that might meet his inflated salary expectations. Problem is, I bet, that the private sector won't match what he's got now. Only in the public sector.

This whole affair continues to make public employees - especially elected public officials - look mighty bad.

There is one sliver of hope in all this:  some alderman had enough courage to say NO. Good for them.