San José Mayor Earns
More Than President Arias
The mayor of
the Municipalidad de San
José, Johnny Araya Monge,
earns more than Costa
Rican president and
without the hassles and
headaches of running the
country.
While Oscar
Arias is paid a monthly
salary of ˘3.344.880
colones (us$6.480),
Araya earns ˘4.134.000
colones (us$8.011) or
˘789.120 colones
(us$1.529) thanks to
approval by the "regidores"
of San José on July 31.
"This was not a
capricious decision to
increase my salary",
said Araya.
According to Araya the
Municipalidad is
undergoing a
process of change
supported by the
technical school of the
Universidad de Costa
Rica (UCR), eliminating
some departments and
creating three
divisions:
administrative,
financial and
operations.
Two of the divisions
will be headed by the
vice-mayors, who will be
paid a monthly salary of
˘800.000 colones
(us$1.550) each.
The vice-mayors had
never received a salary
Araya continued with the
explanation that his
salary was automatically
increased based on the
calculation of the base
salary of the municipal
employee earning the
most, in this case the
Auditor who earns ˘3.5
million colones monthly.
The mayor added that the
Municipalidad can now
afford higher salaries
due to increased tax
collection.
Of course, the mayor
doesn't get to take his
entire salary home each
month, there are about
˘1 million colones in
deductions, Araya said.
Araya has been
responsible for the
ambitious and
controversial campaigns
to rid the narrow
sidewalks of impromptu
and illegal vendors, to
reduce the clutter of
billboards and overhead
signs, and to bury a
good share of the city's
electrical and phone
cables. There's even a
move to more
intelligently regulate
bus and commuter
traffic.
Johnny Araya Monge has
been mayor of the
Municipalidad de San
José since 2003, before
than occupying the
position of "ejecutivo
municipal", a position
akin to mayor since 1991
and "regidor" for San
José between 1982 and
1986.
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