The panel charged with recommending fundamental changes to the shape of city government seems all but certain to put term limits back on the ballot.
That's right and proper - but the mayor's Charter Revision Commission must also call for additional City Council reforms. It is time to:
-- Ban lulus, cash payments doled out by the Council speaker to reward political friends and punish political enemies;
-- Ban self-pay raises, ending the practice by which legislators vote to hike their own salaries.
-- Force full disclosure of "part-time" Council members' outside income.
-- Ban member items, the bring-the-bacon-home funds that members give to favored groups - or, at the least, equalize them across all 51 Council members.
Lulus are stipends that supplement salaries. The Council's leader decides who gets what. Cross her, and your pay may well drop.
Compare that with Congress. There, members get identical compensation to prevent financial considerations from influencing votes.
Barring lulus would be a major step toward better government. So, too, banning or equalizing member items. Senior members and those most friendly to the speaker get the biggest allocations. For no reason other than toe-the-line loyalty, their constituents get the best treatment.
The practice is unfair, has nothing to do with community needs and gives the speaker a powerful tool for enforcing her will. If money is to be doled out, every member should get an equal share.
As for pay raises, the Council should abide by the standard set by Congress. The Constitution limits Congress to enacting pay raises only after an election, meaning members elected to one session may hike the salaries only of members elected to the next session. Even the state Legislature follows this anti-conflict-of-interest practice.
Full financial disclosure needs no explaining.
The commission holds a final public hearing tonight. Some panelists have begun to target Council reform. Tony Cassino is leading the charge. "You shouldn't be getting a bonus for a job that you were elected to do," he said.
Another panel member, Hope Cohen, said she was startled to learn that the Council does not adhere to prospective pay raises.
Even lawmakers profess to favor reform. In answering a Citizens Union questionnaire, 27 members opposed self-pay raises. And most who responded backed fuller financial disclosure and a ban on lulus. Voters should be able to give representatives the reforms they say they want.
Clean up the Council: Charter Revision Commission must reform city legislature
