Ellsworth’s elected council has given the city manager a pay raise, despite one councilor’s objections that city spending is “out of control.”
Charles Pearce was hired as city manager in April 2024, replacing Glenn Moshier. Pearce was tasked with improving efficiency and professionalism and restoring public confidence at City Hall after Moshier’s tumultuous tenure that resulted in him being fired.
Councilors met in executive session last week for 45 minutes and, after they resumed the public portion of their meeting, voted 5-1 to raise Pearce’s annual pay from $130,000 to $140,000. Council Chair Michelle Beal was absent from the meeting.
Councilor Steve O’Halloran, who frequently is the lone Ellsworth councilor to cast contrarian votes, was the only member to vote against the pay raise. He did not explain the reason for his opposition at the meeting, but during the councilors’ comments section of the meeting sounded the alarm about city spending.
For example, O’Halloran said the city has added too many new positions, some of which are not called for in the city charter, and is leasing too many vehicles for employees to drive around.
“Let’s get real,” O’Halloran said. “We don’t need all this fluff in government. It’s out of control. It needs to stop.”
When contacted after the meeting to explain his vote against Pearce’s pay raise, O’Halloran’s response was brief.
“I represent Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth, NOT big government,” he said, using a term he coined to refer to property taxpayers. He declined to elaborate.
In response to O’Halloran’s comments about city growth, Pearce reminded councilors that they approved his proposed budget this spring. He said that the budget included two new firefighter positions, a new police patrol officer position, a new janitor position and a new parks and rec director position.
He said the overall increase in the city budget, including school expenses, was 2.9 percent, which is consistent with annual inflation costs cited in the federal Consumer Price Index. The council voted in May to approve an annual budget of $27 million, including school costs, for the fiscal year that began on July 1, according to the Ellsworth American.
Most of the growth in the city’s staff has been in public safety, which is a necessary adjustment given Ellsworth’s increasing population, Pearce said.
“It makes a lot of sense,” he told the council. “We are a growing city.”
Councilor Patrick Lyons, who chaired the meeting in Beal’s absence, said after the vote that there is a “strong sense” among city staff and the council that the city is moving in the right direction under Pearce’s leadership.
“He sets a high standard for leadership, is highly ethical and treats everyone fairly and consistently while prioritizing transparency in government,” Lyons said. “He has led a huge turnaround in the city’s financial management and has set the city on a path of positive growth while working with the council to pass a fiscally responsible budget.”