As Slovakia battles against its budget deficit, a lot of money is being sucked up in salaries for local mayors, according to an article in daily SME.
Some mayors are pushing their salaries to the upper threshold to reach almost EUR 4,500, even though the government recently tried to quash salaries by an across-the-board cut.
The daily quotes as many as 40 local councils in eastern Slovakia giving the green light to salary increases for their mayors to reach the upper threshold, or to mere symbolic cuts to fit in with the law.
Examples include the mayor of Kosice, Smer MP and former health minister Richard Rasi, who now enjoys the same monthly salary as Bratislava mayor Milan Ftacnik after being given a rise of EUR 1,334 to EUR 4,405. Poprad mayor Anton Danko now enjoys EUR 4,171 after the council approved his increase, and the mayor of the village of 10,000 residents, Moldava nad Bodvou, has the pleasure of over EUR 3,300 a month.
It so often seems that public officials put their own interests before that of their municipality or the overall budget deficit, but why should conscience enter the equation when it is all legal.