Susan Stetzer Due For a Raise, Says Community Board

IMG_0433Daniel Maurer

Susan Stetzer may have her detractors (it’s still uncertain who posted flyers last month assailing her as an “unelected meddler” and “assassin of New York’s creativity”), but she also has her admirers, including the personnel committee of Community Board 3, whose August resolution asking that she receive a $1,500 “discretionary” raise was approved by the full board during its meeting last week.

As district manager, Ms. Stetzer is not a voting member of the board, but the resolution noted that she is “on call 24 hours, seven days a week,” and added that the proposed increase in her $71,000 annual salary was “not representative” of her “high level of performance.”

Reached for comment, Ms. Stetzer said the money for her raise would come out of her “very small” operating budget and that she had asked for that amount when appearing before the personnel committee. “We couldn’t afford more,” she added. “However, this was a month ago. Since that time we have received a proposed very large cut and all raises are on hold. So the vote (by board) was amended to be implemented when we are fully funded.”

The city’s Office of Management and Budget had announced that there would not be any raises this year, but Ms. Stetzer believed the office would not oppose her increase once “funds are restored.”

The raise would make her the fourth highest paid district manager in Manhattan, the resolution said. “C.B. 3 has a higher percentage of its operating budget going to salaries than many boards because we are very busy,” Ms. Stetzer explained, “and half the staff are very longtime employees who receive high salaries because of their longevity.”

Currently, Ms. Stetzer has the third lowest salary among district managers, according to the resolution. “I like my job and am obviously not doing it for the big bucks,” she said.