Council Should Be Paid More

While I find it possible to argue with the great majority of ideas expressed in "Words from the Editor," there is a striking exception. "Words from the Editor" couldn't be more accurate when it advocates pay increases for the Davenport mayor and council. (See "We Get What We Pay for," River Cities' Reader, Issue 303, December 27, 2000-January 2, 2001.) The jobs are referred to as part-time, but as "Words from the Editor" points out, they are much more than that. City duties permeate all aspects of the elected officials' lives, including social, family, hobby, and vocational.

Our city elected officials receive little pay and get virtually no prestige. It's a wonder that we continue to get candidates!

Bob Martin,
Davenport