A proposal to more than double the Brooklyn Park mayor’s annual salary — from $21,995 to $50,000 — is on pause after the City Council voted 6-0 on April 27 to table the discussion pending a joint work session with the city’s Charter Commission.

The sequence of events matters. On April 13, the Council had already passed the proposed salary increase on a 4-0 vote — with Mayor Hollies Winston and Council Members Shelle Page and Maria Tran all abstaining. It was the subsequent public pushback, focused largely on the Council’s decision to bypass the Charter Commission’s own recommendation, that brought the vote back to the table two weeks later.

What the Charter Commission actually recommended

The Brooklyn Park Charter Commission had studied the salary question and recommended a modest 5% raise for the mayor — which would have set the salary at $23,100 for 2027 — along with a 3% raise for council members, who currently earn $12,578 annually. The Council’s April 13 vote bypassed that recommendation entirely, jumping to $50,000 without returning to the commission.

Council Member Tony McGarvey named that disconnect as the deciding factor.

“To do it the way that we are considering this evening does show disrespect to the Charter Commission. After all, why are they there? They’re there to advise us. And we took that advice and we changed it without showing the respect of checking with them.” — Council Member Tony McGarvey

Council Member Amanda Cheng Xiong concurred that a pay raise is warranted but that the commission should be consulted to determine the appropriate figure.

The case for a larger raise

City Manager Jay Stroebel had outlined the rationale for the $50,000 figure at an April 6 work session, framing the current salary as a financial barrier for residents who might otherwise seek the office. The argument: keeping the mayor’s compensation at a nominal part-time rate structurally limits who can afford to run, effectively reserving the city’s highest office for those with high-income flexibility.

Council Member Christian Eriksen, who proposed the more substantial increase, pointed to the pressure and time demands on the mayor’s role that council members do not experience to the same degree.

“I think there’s a certain pressure on the mayor that council members don’t experience in terms of our schedule and expectations on our time.” — Council Member Christian Eriksen

Winston’s position

Mayor Winston was clear and consistent throughout: he did not initiate the proposal and abstained from the original vote.

“I didn’t bring this forward. It was not necessarily a priority for myself, which is why I abstained from it. For me, if it takes further consideration, that makes sense.” — Mayor Hollies Winston

The question is not just what the mayor should earn. It is who can afford to run for mayor at all — and what that says about whose voices lead.

Under any approved increase, the higher salary would not take effect until after the current mayoral term expires following the November 2026 election. Candidates for mayor currently on the ballot would run knowing what the office pays if they win. The Council and Charter Commission joint work session has not yet been scheduled as of publication.

This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited by Insight News editorial staff, who are responsible for its accuracy and content.