A Boston City Councilor insisted that woke Mayor Michelle Wu must get her massive pay raise to prevent corruption.
The city council voted 9-3 on Wednesday against a measure to rescind the mayor's $43,000 increase, and the council's own $21,500 raise, amid a $70 million budget shortfall.
Wu, who won reelection last year, saw her pay increase to $250,000 from $207,000 in January. City councilors now earn $125,000, up from $103,500 last year.
During the meeting, Wu's ally, Councilor Sharon Durkan, claimed the pay hikes were necessary to prevent politicians from resorting to theft or taking kickbacks.
'We had a Council colleague… There was some corruption that took place on this body,' Durkan said.
'I do not want anyone that serves in this body to not be able to afford their life and to go towards something that's really dark and negative.'
She appeared to be referring to the case of former councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who pleaded guilty last year to federal corruption charges.
Prosecutors accused Anderson, who was Boston's first Muslim lawmaker, of taking most of an inflated bonus that she paid to a relative who worked for her.
Boston City Council voted 9-3 on Wednesday against a measure to rescind woke Mayor Michelle Wu's $43,000 pay increase
Wu's ally, Councilor Sharon Durkan, claimed the pay hikes were necessary to prevent politicians from resorting to theft or taking kickbacks
Anderson told her relative that she would give her a $13,000 bonus, more than twice the combined bonuses she gave the rest of the staff, according to prosecutors.
After taxes, the staffer received about $10,000. She withdrew the money in several bank transactions in May and June of 2023 before exchanging texts to meet Anderson in a City Hall bathroom on June 9, where she gave Anderson $7,000 of the money.
According to the indictment, Fernandes Anderson lied about being related to the staffer when the hire was made.
Despite being paid $115,000 a year, Anderson was going through financial difficulties in 2023, partly because the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission told her it would fine her $5,000 for hiring immediate family members, according to prosecutors.
She pleaded guilty to the federal charges and was sentenced to one month and three years of probation, and was ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution.
Councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy, who put forward the resolution to claw back the raises, condemned Durkan's logic.
'As Boston elected officials, we should never justify or provide an excuse for any type of public corruption,' Flynn said in a statement to the Boston Herald after the vote.
'We must be held to high standards and lead by example. Ethics and integrity must be part of every aspect of city government.'
Durkin appeared to be referring to the case of former councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who pleaded guilty last year to federal corruption charges
Councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy, who put forward the resolution to claw back the raises, condemned Durkan's logic
Wu, who won reelection last year, saw her pay increase from $207,000 to $250,000 in January
During the city council meeting, Murphy said, 'Elected officials have a responsibility to demonstrate shared sacrifice, fiscal discipline, and accountability to the people they serve.
'Rescinding the salary increases for elected officials would send a clear message that the city's priority must be preserving essential services, supporting our frontline workers, protecting vulnerable residents, and investing in the people and programs that serve Boston neighborhoods.'
The vote came just days after Wu revealed that the city is facing a $70 million budget shortfall this year.
On Monday, she filed two supplemental budgets with the city council, seeking $47.1 million in emergency reserves to cover a city budget shortfall and $22.8 million in reserves to cover a Boston Public Schools budget deficit.
The Daily Mail contacted Wu's office for comment.