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Before the ink on A.C. Gonzalez’ $400,000 contract was even dry, some were suggesting that the $95,000 gap between his salary and predecessor Mary Suhm’s might have something to do with their different gender.
Here’s former City Councilwoman Veletta Lill commenting to KERA that “it looks like they didn’t value the female city manager quite as much as the male manager.”
Let’s go ahead and nip that speculation in the bud. The City Council loved Suhm. Remember when Vonciel Hill compared her to Jesus, which is a thing that actually happened? If anything, the council tended to overvalue “the female city manager.”
See also: A.C. Gonzalez’ $400,000 Salary Makes Him the Highest-Paid City Manager in the Country
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What’s actually seems to be happening here — a point that was highlighted by Hill of all people — is that, rather than base their decision on what’s needed to keep Gonzalez in Dallas, the City Council is looking at city-manager salary inflation in places like San Antonio, where pay was recently bumped to $375,000 and will increase to $400,000 next year, and deciding this offers an accurate reflection of the position’s value.
You can’t, after all, have a wold-class city without paying your top bureaucrat a world-class salary.
If Suhm were in Gonzalez’s shoes, she’d be getting the same kind of cash thrown at her. This is an example of foolishness by the Dallas City Council, not of gender inequality.
Send your story tips to the author, Eric Nicholson.
