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Quincy mayor could become the highest-paid mayor in the country

A consulting firm hired by Quincy recommends a 87% to 133% pay increase for longtime Mayor Thomas Koch. He could make up to $370,000.

By Molly Farrar

May 1, 2024

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Longtime Mayor of Quincy Thomas Koch could see a raise that would make him the highest paid mayor in the United States.

After nearly a decade without a pay increase, Koch, who currently makes about $159,000, could become the highest paid mayor in the United States if the City Council takes advice from an independent firm they contracted to evaluate his salary. 

Koch has been mayor since 2008. He began his seventh term this year.

“Quincy’s been on a pretty good run. We don’t live here, but we are financial economists at heart and we know what we’re looking at. You’re on a good run,” the consultant told councilors last week. “The consequential effects of trying to undercut quality is going to be tough to overcome.” 

Dorminson Consulting told the councilors to consider a $298,000 to $370,000 salary for Koch. On the low end, this would be a $139,000, or 87%, increase. An increase to $370,000 would make Koch the highest paid mayor in the United States, according to available data. That’s a $211,000 raise, or about a 133% increase.

The firm told councilors they took into account the city’s population, the consumer price index, and a survey of more than 1,200 chief administrative officers’s salaries. This includes mayors or city managers. 

According to salary data shared by The Patriot Ledger, dozens of Quincy police officers, sergeants, and firefighters made more than Koch last year. The highest earner was Police Chief Paul Keenan, who made about $386,000. 

Koch’s last raise was in 2015, Dorminson representatives told councilors. According to the Ledger, that was a 23% increase, from $136,708 to $150,942.

“By any standard, that’s a bit of a long period of time, particularly given some of the price level changes we’ve had recently,” a consultant said at the meeting. “Setting a static level and leaving it static for nine years like has been the case is probably not optimal.”

What do other mayors make?

The mayor of San Francisco is reportedly the highest earning mayor in the country with a salary of about $357,000. The mayor of Los Angeles is the second-highest earning mayor in California with a salary of $301,000, according to state data. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, makes about $258,000, the New York Times reported in 2022.

In nearby Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu earns a little more than $200,000, which will increase to $250,000 in 2026. The city manager of Worcester, the second-most populous city in the commonwealth, made around $313,000 in 2023, Mass Live reported. Worcester has about double the population of Quincy.

Quincy Ward 1 City Councillor David McCarthy, who is also the chair of the Finance Committee, said the pay raise for Koch is “way overdue to be looked at.” He said the consultants are helping the council go in the right direction.

“Quincy is a big city and a healthy city,” McCarty said. “We’re way overdue to take a look at this.”