Saint John mayor, councillors to see significant salary raise in 2017

Saint John city councillors, as well as the mayor, will be getting hefty raises next year.

A report released in November recommended the big pay jump for the city’s decision makers — it was the first salary review in 14 years.

READ MORE: Report recommends big pay bump for Saint John mayor, councillors

Mayor Don Darling’s annual salary will increase by about 30 per cent, to $74,000 a year. Darling said Tuesday he plans to give any net benefit from the raise to charity rather than take it for himself.

The mayor’s significant pay raise hasn’t come without commentary from the public, though, to which Darling reminds residents that he’s a man doing a job like everybody else.

“I’m a mayor but I’m a human being, I’m a husband, I’m a father, I have kids in school. You know I have a household just like anybody else.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm a mayor but I'm a human being, I'm a husband, I'm a father, I have kids in school. You know I have a household just like anybody else."

Darling hasn’t said whether he plans to pass the money from his raise on to charity past 2017.

The deputy mayor’s salary will increase to be $38,612 per year.

Councillors will see their salaries raised to $29,562.

The report says the increases “bring Council’s salaries more in like with other comparable Eastern Canadian municipalities.”

With this salary increase, Darling’s yearly income is still $10,000 less than what the mayor of Moncton makes.

Follow @heide_pearson

— With files from Andrew Cromwell, Global News.