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Replying to emails, researching policies, responding to constituent’s calls — some Hampton Roads’ city council members say they’re overwhelmed by the responsibilities of the job and could use a little help.
In Virginia Beach and Newport News, council members are looking into hiring assistants — though details about how much to pay them and what their duties will entail are still being hashed out.
Newport News Councilman John Eley III noted the challenges of balancing a full-time job with regular meetings with citizens and attending multiple city events each week. He said even after returning home at night, he often spends more than an hour reading and responding to emails and texts.
“Sometimes it gets challenging trying to respond to 120 emails when it’s not your full-time job,” Eley said. “My goal when I was elected was to make sure I’m able to answer as many citizens’ concerns and just be able to help too.”
At a meeting last month, Newport News Vice Mayor Curtis Bethany suggested adding money to the city’s upcoming budget to hire “constituent service representatives.” They would act as part-time assistants for each of the six council members, excluding the mayor.
Most of the Newport News council expressed support for the idea, believing additional aid would help them assist constituents and be more efficient. Newport News council members serve on a part-time basis and earn an annual salary of $25,000.
The Virginia Beach City Council discussed the idea of hiring part-time help for about 20 hours a week with pay of $20 per hour. But an ordinance to get the ball rolling was tabled last summer.
The idea resurfaced this year with many new council members, who were elected under the new district rather than city-wide election system, in support.
“The dynamics of our body has changed with the district system,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said at a meeting earlier this month. “Community engagement is going to be at the forefront.”
Virginia Beach City Council members earn $28,000 a year, and many have full-time jobs in addition to being council members. Several of the newest members expressed a desire to have the help.
“There’s a lot of paper that comes at us,” Councilman Joash Schulman said. “Anything that helps us deliver better service in a more efficient way, I’m open to it.”
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Cost for assistants
Exactly how much money would be budgeted for the extra help, and how costs would be covered, remains under discussion.
In Newport News, city spokesperson Kim Lee said the initial calculation for the part-time employees is at $15 per hour and 29 hours per week. The total amount the city estimates for a full year of six part-time salaries, payroll taxes, and the initial purchase of start-up equipment like laptops and cellphones is $179,636, Lee said.
If all 10 Virginia Beach council members were to each use an assistant at $20 an hour for 20 hours a week, that would equate to roughly $4,000 a week or $208,000 a year. The mayor is excluded because he already has a paid assistant.
Elected officials for some other large Virginia cities and counties also have support staff, including the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and Richmond City Council.
Under the new election system, each of Virginia Beach’s 10 council members represent a district with about 45,000 residents. Newport News is divided into three council districts with roughly 62,000 residents each and two council members are elected per district.
During last year’s discussion about assistants, Virginia Beach officials said the money would come from salary vacancies, but the total was not determined. They had discussed some of the aides’ responsibilities, which would include reading and responding to emails and maintaining calendars.
Dyer said the issue of council assistants will be vetted by the public through the budget hearings. Having an assistant would be optional for council members, the mayor said.
He asked members to consider some of the city clerk’s questions about equipment including laptops and cellphones that will need to be ordered.
In Newport News, Bethany said the council would discuss job description details, salary, and other specifics of the positions at a later meeting.
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Lee said the full list of constituent service representatives’ responsibilities is still being worked on; however, the positions would be restricted from doing any activities of a political nature — such as campaigning or fund-raising.
Not everyone supports the idea, though.
Virginia Beach Councilwoman Barbara Henley, who previously said she doesn’t think the aides are necessary and doesn’t want one, reiterated her sentiments while reminding fellow council members that a vote was deferred on the matter last year.
The only detractor for the idea on the Newport News council was Pat Woodbury, who believed the Office of the City Clerk was doing a good job helping the council. Furthermore, Woodbury said if someone did not have the time to commit to a city council position, they should not have run.
Eley, however, believes the representatives will allow a broader range of people to serve on the council. He said people in local elected office are often retirees because they have more time to attend government functions than those working full-time. However, he said this creates a “disconnect in politics” when younger generations have no representation on the council.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com