The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors elevated County Executive Anthony Griffin’s salary to more than $230,000 Monday, making him one of the highest-paid executives in the Washington area.
They also approved a pay raise for County Attorney David Bobzien, pushing his pay past $200,000.
The nearly $9,000 bump for each man maintains Griffin’s and Bobzien’s positions in the upper echelons of local government executive pay. Griffin, whose annual salary will rise from $223,160 to $232,086 in January, also may receive a $675 allowance per month in lieu of his county-provided vehicle. Bobzien, who is now paid $192,880, will make $201,560 next year.
Fairfax County, which is the Washington region’s most populous jurisdiction, compensates its top staff more than many of its counterparts in Northern Virginia and Maryland.
Montgomery County, which is most often compared with Fairfax because of its size and comparable affluence, pays County Executive Iike Leggett $163,000, although his salary is set to be re-evaluated today, a spokeswoman said. Montgomery County Attorney Leon Rodriguez, however, is paid much closer to Bobzien at $197,600 a year.
Prince William County’s executive is paid $199,000 a year, and the county attorney makes $165,000. In Arlington, the county manager draws a $199,592 salary, and the county attorney is paid $180,274. In Alexandria, the city manager has an annual salary of $227,843. The city attorney makes $182,270.
The unanimously approved motions followed a closed-session discussion, which Mason District Supervisor Penelope Gross called “an in-depth comprehensive review” of their performance.
The move to increase executive pay comes amid ongoing discussions of how to adequately compensate the thousands of Fairfax County staff who can’t afford to live in the county. But Clayton Sinyai, chairman of the Campaign for a Living Wage, said he didn’t object to the raises for Griffin and Bobzien.
“Our spending on our public servants in Fairfax is the smartest investment we make with public dollars,” said Sinyai, who recently pushed to increase compensation for some of the county’s lowest-paid employees. “As a Fairfax resident, I want top-quality public servants in every job in the county.”
