The city of Athens pays its elected officials more than other similarly sized college towns do, but the top salaries of other cities’ appointed officials dwarf those of Athens.
No Athens city employee has a base salary of more than $90,000, according to Post research, but the highest-paid officials from the cities of Kent, Oxford and Bowling Green make more than $100,000.
The highest-paid city official in Athens is Police Chief Tom Pyle, who was sworn in as chief in 2011 and has worked for the Athens Police Department since 1989.
Pyle makes $86,674 a year, which is less than police chiefs in Kent, Bowling Green and Oxford. Of those, Oxford’s chief makes the most with a salary of $113,634.
Though some appointed officials in other cities make more than those in Athens, Athens generally pays its elected officials more money than other cities do, according to Post research.
The highest-paid elected official in Athens is Mayor Paul Wiehl, who makes $75,842 — more than double the salary of Bowling Green’s mayor, with a salary of $30,000, and more than 10 times the salaries paid to the Kent and Oxford mayors.
Appointed professionals in other cities might be paid more than those who are elected because appointed officials are people who cities want to keep, Wiehl said, though he didn’t comment on Athens specifically.
Wiehl said he hadn’t previously thought about being the highest-paid mayor among the cities The Post compared his salary to, but added that Kent, Bowling Green and Oxford are charter cities as opposed to a statutory city — which means those cities can hire city managers to carry out mayoral duties.
“(The Kent) mayor is only a ceremonial mayor,” said Sandy Lance, legal secretary for the city of Kent. She added that the Kent mayor — who makes $6,600 — also serves as president of Kent City Council.
All three cities have an appointed city manager who makes more than $100,000, and a mayor who is elected but appoints a city manager to take care of day-to-day duties.
“Athens is a (statutory) city, and we’re structured around the Ohio Revised Code,” Wiehl said. “A charter city is whatever you make of it: a strong council or a strong mayor. (Athens has) both.”
Wiehl’s salary is worth the investment, said Ray Hazlett, deputy auditor for the city of Athens.
“(Wiehl) is really hands-on,” Hazlett said. “Our mayor is not a figurehead.”
The city occasionally compares its payroll to that of other cities, but Hazlett said the city hasn’t done so in the past six years. He said he doesn’t recall the last salary comparison showing shocking differences between Athens and similarly sized cities.
“I thought that in generally, (Athens’ salaries) were similar,” he said. “But there was some difference, and nothing was exactly the same.”
jj360410@ohiou.edu
