To the editor:

I read with interest the Nov. 3 and Nov. 7 Bainbridge Review articles about the significant raise recently granted by the Bainbridge City Council to City Manager Doug Schulze.

I was especially concerned by the comparisons of his salary to other city manager salaries in Washington. He is more highly paid than just about any other city manager in our state for management of a city our size. And, a comparison of his base salary to governors’ base salaries (as researched online at The Council of State Governments website: www.csg.org) of other states, shows that he is paid more than 42 state governors across the country, including being paid more than our own governor, Jay Inslee.

Who is responsible for setting the city manager salary? Who is minding the fiscal health of our community to allow such an inequity? How is his job more demanding and more complex and deserving of a higher salary than 42 governors across the country?

We Bainbridge Islanders pride ourselves on being stewards of the land; we need to be more vigilant stewards of the city coffers.

PAUL SANDERS

Bainbridge Island