At the risk of stirring the pot, if Ceis doesn't think a member of the Seattle City Council can weigh in on a $60,000 pay increase--while implying that the Mayor's Office is willing to look the other way at any Council staff salary-plundering so long as Hizzoner gets the staff he wants--we will personally sit down with Ceis and explain why we think that's a terrible, terrible precedent to set. You could argue that it's the polar opposite of the example we might hope from city leadership, though ironically, his quote does point to the need for a good communications director. (This mutual respect for autonomy seems to apply only to personnel decisions, given the city's attempt to raid the Council's tenant relocation fund.) more ›