CYPRESS – The City Council voted 4 to 1 on Tuesday night to award City Manager John Bahorski a $6,000 “employment retention” payment.
Mayor Leroy Mills and Councilmen Doug Bailey, Todd Seymore and Prakash Narain voted in favor of the bonus. Councilman Phil Luebben opposed it.
As part of his yearly review last month, Bahorski asked the council for a 3-percent raise to his $221,000 base salary, about $6,600.
In addition, Bahorski asked for four more “administrative days,” days off in addition to his three weeks of vacation, and increase in payments to his retiree health savings account from $185 a month to $300.
Instead, the council voted for a one-time payment of $6,000.
Bahorski, the city’s top administrator since early 2007, declined to comment on the council’s decision.
Bailey cited Bahorski’s work in reaching out to local businesses and in keeping city costs down as two of the reasons he voted in favor of the bonus.
“I think the council as a whole is happy with the job he’s done,” Bailey said in an interview. “We have one of the more fiscally sound cities in the county.”
Luebben agrees about Bahorski’s performance, and about the city’s financial situation.
But, he said, city managers in several other cities aren’t getting raises.
“I think (Bahorski’s) very well compensated. Asking for additional sweeteners to his already generous compensation package really borders on greed,” Luebben said.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3796 or mmello@ocregister.com
