Johnston Pay Raise: Council Proposes $35,000 Bump for Mayor
Rhode Island's lowest-paid municipal chief faces a vote to increase his annual salary from $75,000 to $110,000 before his final term begins.
By Adrian Kovalenko ·
The Johnston Town Council introduced an ordinance on November 12 to raise Mayor Joe Polisena Jr.'s salary by $35,000. The proposal would lift his annual pay from $75,000 to $110,000. This increase would take effect once he is sworn in for his final four-year term in January 2027.
Council President Robert Russo argued that the current compensation is too low to attract future candidates for the role. Russo stated that it is fair for the mayor to earn a wage commensurate with managing a town that has a $144 million budget and more than 200 employees. He noted that Polisena Jr. has already served half of his tenure as the lowest-paid municipal executive in the state.
If the ordinance passes, Polisena Jr. would earn more than the mayors of both Cranston and Warwick. The Cranston mayor currently earns $105,000, while the Warwick mayor earns $100,000. These figures come from an annual survey conducted by the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns. The proposed raise would place Johnston's chief executive in line with many of his peers across the state.
Rhode Island has a distinct structure for paying local leaders. Elected mayors generally receive less than appointed town managers. Mayors often face political scrutiny when accepting raises, whereas town managers typically negotiate their salaries through employment contracts with their respective councils. This difference explains the pay gap between the two groups.
Some appointed roles command much higher wages than elected ones. For example, the town managers in East Greenwich and Newport each earn $225,000 a year. East Greenwich also provides its manager with a $1,000 monthly vehicle stipend. These numbers illustrate the financial disparity between appointed and elected municipal leadership in the state.
Polisena Jr. is currently the youngest mayor in Rhode Island. He will lose that distinction in January when David Morales takes office as the mayor of Providence. Both men are Democrats, though they hold different ideological views. They share an interest in professional wrestling and represent a newer generation of municipal leaders in a state with a history of long-tenured officials like Charlie Lombardi.
