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Resident questions city solicitor pay bump and market comparisons during budget hearing
Summary
At the June 16 public hearing on the FY2026 budget, resident Sean Drew criticized a proposed increase to the city solicitor's pay and urged the council to match salaries to market data rather than exceed norms.
A Methuen resident criticized proposed increases to the city solicitor's salary during the June 16 municipal budget public hearing, urging the council to align pay with market norms.
"Last week, I came here... I called it tone deaf to approve a contract without proper market research," resident Sean Drew told the council. Drew read figures from the budget book and his own market comparisons, saying the city solicitor's salary rose from about $117,000 in 2022 to a proposed $160,000 base for FY2026 and that, with planned yearly increases, the role could reach roughly $177,000 in 2027. "From 2022 until 2027, you have about a 51% raise," he said.
Drew framed his remarks as a taxpayer perspective: "We have to match salaries to the market and be responsible with our tax dollars. If the market calls for us to pay him more, then we should pay him more. Not saying we should, but if that's what the market shows," he said. He also compared surrounding communities' solicitor pay as context, naming figures he said came from nearby municipalities.
The council did not take action on the solicitor contract or salaries at the hearing. Drew's comments were part of the larger public hearing on the FY2026 municipal budget, during which the council extended the comment period to allow more residents to speak.
