Letters: Mayor Ginther isn't the only one who deserves more money from city. Where is mine?
Where's my raise?
Mayor Andrew Ginther’s office recently lobbied for a hefty pay raise for both the mayor and Columbus City Council.
While I can’t comment on their day-to-day workload, I can say that, as one of the 8,000 employees the mayor oversees, it would be great if it felt like they actually cared about us.
More:Ginther lobbied compensation panel for up to 20% pay boost for Columbus mayor
The reason for the raise was to ensure salary is on par with other peer cities, but it seems social workers and nurses at Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging are being left behind.
Compared to similar-sized cities, Ginther is the second-highest paid mayor at $204,683 a year, trailing only the mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, at $208,393 a year.
The average salary for a care manager in Jacksonville is $83,190 a year. It should be similar in Columbus, but at Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging? Many of us are making $53,560 a year, a difference of almost $30,000 a year.
How are we supposed to purchase homes, expand our families, and live fulfilling lives when it feels as if the city has absolutely no regard for our financial well-being?
More:Panel appointed by Columbus elected officials recommends boosting those officials' pay
Underpaying care managers can lead to low morale and high turnover, potentially damaging the clients we serve (mostly older and medically vulnerable adults).
So now, not only have city employees been disregarded, but thousands of folks in our communities may also be negatively impacted. Shannon Hardin likes to say, “If it’s not for all, then it’s not for us.”
So does this include a 40% pay increase for all, or is that just for you, Council President Hardin?
Emma LaCourse, Columbus
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Peace Corps deserves support
Thank you for your July 30 Dispatch.com article, "With a passion for international and public health, Newark native joins Peace Corps," who is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to service since the global COVID pandemic forced the suspension of operations in March 2020.
More:With a passion for international and public health, Newark native joins Peace Corps
Eleanor Wade's Peace Corps assignment in Uganda is a testament to the spirit Peace Corps service has always presented to the world, with Americans prepared to live, work, and learn side-by-side with global counterparts in an effort to improve the livelihoods of others.
One way to support Wade is to urge Congress to co-sponsor and support the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan legislation provides support to volunteers with improvements to ensure their better health and safety.
More:Opinion: 60 years later, Peace Corps needed more than ever
I am very pleased that Sen. Rob Portman from Ohio, is an original co-sponsor of the Senate legislation, which passed the committee in late July on a unanimous voice vote.
I hope Sen. Sherrod Brown and the entire Ohio delegation can join Sen. Portman in co-sponsoring this legislation (Senate Bill 4466; House Resolution 1456) and seeing that it passes. The new generation of Peace Corps Volunteers – like Eleanor Wade – deserves our support.
Stuart Moskowitz, RPCV Ecuador 1967-69, Dublin, CORVA member