Local News

The annual salary for a Boston City Council member rose from $103,500 to $125,000 over the past few years.

• ...

Send this article to your social connections.

The Boston City Council voted against a measure Wednesday that would have rescinded salary increases that councilors and Mayor Michelle Wu received in recent years. 

The raises were approved by the council back in 2022. Wu’s annual salary increased from $207,000 to $250,000 beginning in January of this year. The annual salary for council members increased from $103,500 to $115,000 in 2024, then jumped to $120,000 in 2025 and $125,000 in 2026. 

Councilors Erin Murphy and Ed Flynn filed a resolution this week calling for “the immediate rescission, to the fullest extent permitted by law” of the salary increases. It came as some on the body, including both Murphy and Flynn, continued to voice their displeasure at Wu’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year. That proposal includes a number of cuts, and represents the lowest year-over-year increase in spending since the aftermath of the global financial crisis in fiscal year 2010. 

In their resolution, Flynn and Murphy highlighted proposed cuts to veterans’ services, firefighter cancer screenings, economic opportunity initiatives, and more. The resolution called for any funds saved through the salary rescissions to be redirected towards services for residents. 

Flynn acknowledged that the savings could not close the city’s current budget deficit or address most of the proposed cuts, but said that it would send a message to residents that councilors are willing to place their constituents before themselves. 

“Residents want to know that we understand that they’re going through difficult times, and they don’t want a City Council just ignoring them and thinking that they don’t matter,” he said. 

Councilor Sharon Durkan called the measure “anti-family,” saying that she wants to maintain salaries that allow people with families to serve on the council. Maintaining the current salaries is beneficial because it encourages people to run for City Council, she added. 

Durkan also referenced the scandal involving Tania Fernandes Anderson, the council member who resigned last year after she was arrested and charged with orchestrating a kickback scheme involving a family member. Prosecutors said that Fernandes Anderson was experiencing “personal financial difficulty,” when she concocted the scheme. She eventually pleaded guilty to two federal charges and served a month in prison. 

“There was some corruption that took place on this body. I do not want anyone that serves on this body to not be able to afford their life and to go towards something that’s really dark and negative,” Durkan said. 

Councilor Miniard Culpepper, who was the only other council member besides Flynn and Murphy to support the measure, said that it is reasonable for people to ask their elected officials to demonstrate a sense of shared sacrifice and accountability. 

“This cannot simply be symbolic,” he said. “Those savings should be used to protect the residents and communities most impacted by these cuts.”

Council President Liz Breadon referenced data that shows that an adult needs to make about $125,000 a year to live comfortably in Boston, and that families need to make upwards of $162,000 a year in order to afford a typical starter home. 

“Many of us are heads of households with dependents,” she said. “One size does not fit all when it comes to thinking about the salary of a city councilor.”

What do you think? Respond via the form below, or email [email protected], and your response may be used in a future article.