Sherri Chunn, “Baca Aid Gets Hefty Pay Raise,” Albuquerque Journal, 7/30/98 Mayor Jim Baca, who said earlier this year the city can't afford raises, is bumping his top administrator's pay by more than $20,000 a year. Baca said Wednesday he knows his decision to increase Chief Administrative Officer Lawrence Rael's salary from $86,700 to $108,500 may upset some people, particularly city employees who were told not to expect a raise this year. But Baca said the raise was necessary to head off the possibility that Rael, who oversees the daily operation of City Hall, might leave to become the next president of Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute. "It's a little higher than I wanted to pay, and it's a little lower than what Lawrence wanted; but (keeping Lawrence) is just best for the city," Baca said. During budget hearings earlier this spring, Baca said the city doesn't have the money to give raises to city employees who don't have union contracts. But Baca said Wednesday that the Mayor's Office could afford Rael's raise, which went into effect last week. The mayor said rumors were circulating that Rael was one of 14 people in the running to become TVI's next president. Rael said Wednesday he was one of the finalists until last week, when he asked TVI's governing board to withdraw his name from consideration. Rael said he made that move after negotiating the raise with Baca. Robert Matteucci, chairman of TVI's governing board and the presidential search committee, said Wednesday he could not comment on the names of any of the candidates.The only names that will be released will be those of the five finalists for the job, Matteucci said. Earlier this month, the search committee announced it had pared the candidate list from 36 to 14. Rael said he also receives several calls a month from "headhunters" or employee recruiters courting him for jobs in other cities. So Baca said he asked Rael what it would take to keep him. Rael said pay was a major consideration.

"I love working for the city. I enjoy the work. But the level of responsibility and the demands on my time are pretty demanding," Rael said. Rael's previous pay was well below the salaries of other city managers in the region.For example, the comparable position pays $129,981 in San Antonio, Texas, $130,740 in Amarillo and $120,000 in Tucson, according to information provided by the Mayor's Office. Even with the raise, Rael said he will still be one of the lowest paid city managers in the region. "But I view (the pay raise) as a progressive move for the city. It provides the city with consistency in management," Rael said. Rael added that he's always had an interest in education, particularly at TVI, which he described as one of the "jewels of the city." "But city government is still my first love, and I very much enjoy working with (the mayor)," Rael said. City Council President Alan Armijo said he understands why Baca would increase Rael's pay. "He's a valuable commodity to the city," Armijo said. Rael served as former Mayor Martin Chavez's top aide for four years and was one of former Mayor Louis Saavedra's deputy chief administrative officers before that.Shortly before taking office, Baca announced in late October that he would keep Rael as his CAO. "Lawrence has really been able to work well and smooth things out between this administration -- as well as past ones -- and the council," Armijo said.Rael also plays a key role in maintaining good relations with employees and the private sector, said Armijo, adding, "And he does this without arrogance or without belittling people." But Armijo said he does have some mixed feelings about the mayor's decision. "On the one side the mayor is smart to keep Lawrence. On the other side it's a big raise to be giving when we're not giving raises to anyone else," Armijo said. Journal staff writer Juan Lozano contributed to this report.