Raise not praise

It’s a good day for Shaun Stipick. Burlington City Council yesterday approved a $45,000 salary for his position as museum attendant at Herman T. Costello Lyceum Hall. Stipick, who previously made $25 an hour, now has benefits.

 

But residents say council should have considered the city’s budget more before agreeing to the raise. The first proposal offered a $66,000 salary and the second offered $54,000 with raises bringing the figure up to a $67,000 cap.

As the Burlington County Times reports, even the much slower salary approved for Stipick has caught residents’ ire, since others have been left jobless thanks to cutbacks.

Mayor Jim Fazzone said it’s important for someone with arts contacts, like Stipick, to run the museum.