Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
QUINCY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Quincy residents are still divided over a potential pay raise for the city’s mayor, as a petition falls short.
Quincy Citizens for Fair Raises (QCFR) spearheaded a push to keep Quincy Mayor Tom Koch from getting a roughly 79% raise in 2028. With a mayoral election set for 2027 in the city, it is not a guarantee that Koch will benefit from the raise, but a petition from QCFR sought to stop the dramatic rise. Instead, they wanted the mayor’s salary to increase by two percent annually starting in 2026.
In an effort to have the petition on the ballot in November, QCFR submitted over 7,000 signatures to the City Clerk’s office on Sept. 23. More than 2,600 of those signatures were deemed invalid, and the petition ended up 828 signatures shy of reaching the ballot.
“Obviously, we are shocked and very disappointed. We will meet with the Clerk’s office on Monday. We owe it to our volunteers and all that signed to review this situation and take whatever legal recourse is available to us,” said QCFR in a post on social media.
The $285,000 salary the Quincy mayor is set to make is significantly higher than others in the Commonwealth, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who made roughly $207,000 in 2024. Koch’s opponents believe that it is unfair and unethical.
“I’m not a fan of Tommy Koch and he should not get a 79% pay raise,” said one man.
Koch also recently came under fire for comments on WBZ NewsRadio's Nightside with Dan Rae, when he categorized the Catholic Church's child sex abuse scandal as "mostly homosexual issues, not pedophilia." Abuse survivors protested outside Quincy City Hall on Friday, and Koch has since apologized, saying he knows better and "will do better."
Despite the comments, Koch still has support from many residents in the city, who are just fine with him getting a steep raise if he wins reelection.
“I’m a big fan of Tommy Koch,” said another resident. “This is Koch Country down here.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chris Fama (CFamaWBZ) reports.