Community Board 2 approves pay increase for assistant district manager after personnel committee recommendation

Community Board 2 Manhattan’s full board approved an increase to the salary for its assistant district manager after a personnel-committee recommendation during the March 2020 virtual meeting.

Bob Gormley, the board’s district manager, told the personnel committee the assistant district manager had been hired about four years earlier at a lower starting salary than comparable Manhattan boards and that the office’s fixed city budget constrained compensation. Gormley said he and the personnel committee proposed raising the assistant district manager’s salary by $4,000 from $48,000 to $52,000 to recognize his sustained work and to reduce a disparity with other Manhattan boards.

During the public discussion, board members praised the staffer’s reliability and the operational support he provided; several members said the amount was modest but appropriate given budget constraints. A motion to increase the assistant district manager’s salary by $4,000 carried on a roll-call vote with a single recorded no vote. Two recusals were recorded on an unrelated omnibus agenda item earlier in the meeting (Village Alliance-related event and an SLA item); those recusals were unrelated to the personnel action.

Why it matters: the assistant district manager performs daily administrative and constituent-support functions for a board that carries a heavy workload. Members cited continuity of operations — especially while the board shifts to remote work — as a reason to recognize staff with a salary adjustment.

The board directed staff to implement the approved salary change in accordance with applicable city payroll rules and to note budget effects in future reports. The personnel committee said it will continue to assess longer-term budget and compensation issues affecting staff across Manhattan boards.