Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft says the city’s growing payroll, boasting more than 500 employees who earned more than $300,000 last year, is the “latest example” that more fiscal responsibility is needed at City Hall.
Eight city employees, mostly police officers who added to their gross pay with overtime and details, raked in at least $500,000 on the 2024 payroll, which increased by 2.28% from the $2.14 billion in 2023.
Kraft, son of the billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is reacting sharply to the city’s payroll posted online at the close of Friday.
“The primary job of the Mayor is responsible stewardship of public resources,” Kraft said in a statement shared with the Herald on Saturday. “The explosion in city salaries under Mayor Wu shows that it is just not believable to say there isn’t a penny of savings to be found in the city budget.”
“Clearly,” he added, “fiscal responsibility and prudent use of taxpayer resources under this mayor are an afterthought — not a priority — and this is just the latest example.”
Mayor Michelle Wu earned $207,000 with no overtime or other pay.
A spokesperson for the mayor did not provide a statement from Wu by presstime Saturday evening.
The 2024 payroll shows that 78 others earned $400,000 or more; 435 city employees pulled down $300,000-plus; 1,810 banked $200,000 and up; and, 8,384 clocked in at $100,000 or more.
The average salary for city employees was $105,034 in 2024, a big jump over the prior year when employees were paid $74,330 on average, payroll records show.
Many city employee salaries balloon significantly with “gross pay,” which includes whopping overtime topping out at $223,773 for one police officer.
Kraft, president of the family’s philanthropic arm, the New England Patriots Foundation, launched his campaign for mayor of Boston in early February, calling for rent control, a boost to affordable housing development and a pause on the city’s controversial White Stadium project.
Running as a Democrat, Kraft is vying to unseat Wu, a popular progressive seeking re-election.
The Wu administration created 54 new positions last year as part of an effort that has brought in 301 new titles during the mayor’s first time. Those new employees are paid $84,781 on average, the Herald previously reported.
“These positions represent important investments that have been carefully analyzed through the city’s budget process,” Wu wrote in a letter to the City Council in January, “and deliver key improvements in core key operations and services that our constituents depend on.”
The first poll in Boston’s mayoral race, issued by Emerson College last week, showed Wu in the lead, topping Kraft, 43-29.
Boston city pay soars past $500K as janitor sweeps up
Boston’s 2024 city employee payroll: ‘Your Tax Dollars at Work’
Originally Published: