Meanwhile, Common Council President Mark Clear hopes to use redistricting to help the body he presides over run more smoothly.
The problem, as he sees it, is that the job demands too much work for the pay. "There's too much work for people to do part time," he says. "We have to find ways to make it less work or ways to make it pay more."
Alders make $7,546 a year. The pro tem makes $8,456, and the council president makes $10,050.
During the Overture negotiations, Clear estimates he put in about 50 hours a week on council business, leaving not much for his regular job, as head of IMS, which develops content management systems for websites. "Over the past nine months, it probably averages 30 to 35 hours a week."
Clear suggests making the council presidency a part-time paid position and giving the council more resources. "It's a matter of strengthening the institution," he says.