Denver's top mayoral appointees in line for big raises
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's cabinet could get hefty pay bumps under a new proposal introduced Tuesday at a City Council committee.
Why it matters: The proposed raises aim to keep the city competitive, but the timing is politically dicey. Denver finance officials are already bracing for possible spending cuts in 2026 due to shaky revenues, higher costs and economic uncertainty.
Driving the news: The Johnston administration is pushing salary increases for 12 department heads — up to 44% — after three years with no merit or market-based raises.
- The goal is to bring salaries in line with market medians to "attract and retain top talent," Carla Anthony, the city's deputy HR director, told the City Council committee.
- At City Council's request, the mayor's office is also consolidating $7 million in funding for several dozen mayoral appointees, currently funded across various agencies, into its own budget to improve transparency, reduce conflicts of interest and streamline oversight.
By the numbers: The salary raises total about $493,000, mostly covered by the mayor's office budget.
- The Denver International Airport CEO's hike would come from the airport's enterprise fund.
- Officials say the city can afford the increases by leaving vacant roles in the mayor's office unfilled.
Zoom in: Finance director Nicole Doheny would see the biggest bump — a 44% raise, to just over $266,000. That's above market rate, city officials say, due to the job's unique legal responsibilities.
- DIA chief Phil Washington would remain the city's highest-paid mayoral appointee, at $407,000, after receiving a 17% raise.
- That's well above the market median of $260,000, Denver HR officials acknowledge, but they say the role is benchmarked against major U.S. airports due to DIA's size and complexity.
Friction point: Some council members questioned both the equity and optics of the plan.
- Concerns were raised over the decision to compare only the CEO of DIA's salary to those at large institutions, while excluding similar comparisons for other high-responsibility departments.
- Double-digit pay bumps also clash with the roughly 7% average increases most city workers have received annually over the past three years, they said.
- Among their sharpest criticism was that top officials get six-figure salaries while some low-wage workers face furloughs.
What they're saying: "The cleaning staff is furloughed two days a week now," council member Flor Alvidrez said during the meeting. "And when I compare the need of that person to someone making over $200,000, it hurts my heart."
What's next: The full City Council will hold a final vote on the proposal June 2 after members requested more time to weigh the plan. It was originally scheduled for May 19.