Do Kingston’s elected leaders deserve a pay raise? The chair of a citizens committee reviewing council remuneration thinks so.

Nick Waterfield, who chairs a committee reviewing the pay of Kingston’s mayor and 12 city councillors, is recommending hefty hikes in their remuneration starting with the next council term. The mayor’s pay would rise from $94,000 a year to $116,000, while each councillor’s pay would jump to $41,000, from $31,000. Waterfield told CKWS news anchor Bill Hutchins the proposed pay hikes are justified based, in part, on the added work demands brought on by social media.