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Seattle City Light manager may get $100,000 pay raise

By Chris Legeros
By Chris Legeros
As the general manager of Seattle City Light, Jorge Carrasco makes $250,000 a year. 
That figure puts him at the top of the salary chart for city employees. 
He asked the Mayor’s Office to look at the market rate for someone in his role. 
City staffers did some research and found that Carrasco didn’t come close to making what other utility managers are making in the region. 
City of Seattle Personnel Director Susan Coskey said, “We are vulnerable as a city to have this person enticed to go someplace else.” 
A city analysis found that the head of  Tacoma Public Utilities will make $319,000 this year.  
The man in charge of Snohomish PUD will make $367,000. 
On Wednesday, a Seattle City Council committee voted to boost Carrasco's salary up to a maximum of $364,000. 
The only "no" vote was Kshama Sawant.  “I don’t think someone who is paid $250,000 would be underpaid by any measure,” she said.
Outside Seattle City Light headquarters, we found an employee who agreed that a 45 percent bump in salary was too much for his boss.  
“Everybody else is taking a 1.8 percent, 2 percent cost of living raise.  Nobody else is getting raises. They’re telling us we have to cut back on everything, and we’re doing all we can for our customers.  I had no idea he was getting a raise.  I had no idea that was even on the radar,“ said Ed Hill.  
KIRO 7 requested an interview with Carrasco on the proposed pay increase.  Seattle City Light said he was not available.  
The full City Council will vote on the pay boost June 16.

KIRO

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