Pay Miami-Dade commissioners fairly — and nix those $25,000 ‘ambassadors’ | Opinion

In spite of how Miami-Dade residents might feel about individual county commissioners, the fact is that they work hard for their money — the little they currently get.

I would guess that even the laziest commissioner puts in a 60-hour week, and with salary and benefits, they make around $60,000 a year.

Legislative and budget responsibilities take an enormous amount of time. Reading, preparation, getting questions answered, understanding all points of view — hours and hours go into the job. The issues in our county are complex and huge.

And the public demands and expects — rightly so — that commissioners show up in their districts on issues of urgency and concern — and also to celebrate various occasions with their constituents. For county commissioners, spending evenings and weekends in the district is a given.

I spent 16 years on the County Commission, and I know whereof I speak.

When the Miami-Dade charter was adopted in 1957, its drafters may have thought $6,000 was plenty of money for a part-time job. It never occurred to them to provide a mechanism so that the salaries could increase with the consumer price index. However, $6,000 ain’t what it used to be. And the part-time job is no longer part-time.

Broward and Palm Beach commissioners make $100,000 in salary, plus generous benefits. It seems reasonable that a county of our size should be able to fairly compensate its elected officials and also attract more well-qualified candidates who are not currently able to afford to run.

So that this isn’t a perennial issue, the county should make it a policy to tie the increases to the consumer price index.

I will gladly use my tax dollars to fairly compensate county commissioners. In return I expect professionalism, diligence, honesty and integrity — in other words, true public service. And when they leave office, they’re done, unless they want to continue serving in a volunteer capacity.

It’s not in my retirement plan to resurface as an “ambassador” for $25,000 a year or for one penny. And neither should any of my former colleagues. Commissioners now in office should be their own ambassadors to the public and should spend some time mentoring and cultivating the next generation of leaders.

All the while, they should be exemplary role models and stewards of the public trust. So, from this former commissioner, Yes to increases in pay, No to $25,000 “ambassadors.”

Katy Sorenson served on the Miami-Dade County Commission from 1994-2010.

This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 8:07 PM.