Quincy Mayor addresses city’s debt, religous statue controversy

Dozens packed the Quincy city council meeting Monday, hoping to get answers on why the city faces $1.6 billion of debt.

Many say they’re concerned about the mayor’s 79% salary increase amid the city’s financial challenges.

Thousands signed a petition to try to get voters to approve his salary bump on November’s ballot, but the clerk denied the petition.

“They were rejected because the people printed their name, printed their address and then hand wrote their name, and they decided they were not gonna look at the printed names, only look at the handwritten names, which I don’t know how legible yours is but most people’s are not legible,” said Joanne Collins, with Quincy Citizens for Fair Raises.

The city council already approved that salary raise for Mayor Thomas Koch, which would bring his salary to $285,000.

Boston 25 News asked the mayor whether voters should have a say in that.

“I would argue that mayors are underpaid across the commonwealth. I say that with all sincerity, I know what they do, it’s a 24/7 job,” said Mayor Koch. “At the end of this term, I’ll have twenty years as mayor and would have had one increase in 20 years.”

The mayor says as for the city’s debt, it’s all for good investments.

“We’re doing roads, we’re doing schools, we’re doing fire houses, police station all within our excess levy, we’re in a good place, we’re in a great place,” said Mayor Koch.

One of those projects is a massive new public safety building.

While many support it overall, some are concerned about the two religious statues the mayor commissioned for $850,000 to go on the front of the building.

Several residents sued the city over it this year, and just last week, a judge agreed with the residents, allowing an injunction to stop the statues from going up – for now.

“He said it was done in secrecy and so it can’t be a way to operate a city and spend the taxpayer’s money,” said Mimi Balsamo, a Quincy resident.

As for the lawsuit on the religious statues for the public safety building, the mayor says he’s appealing the judge’s ruling.

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