Some Worcester residents are criticizing a contract proposal that would raise City Manager Eric Batista’s salary to more than $300,000 next year.
City councilors were scheduled to consider the proposal during a meeting Tuesday night but instead punted the discussion to their next scheduled council meeting on Dec. 10. That didn’t stop residents from speaking out against the contract during the public comment period Tuesday.
“Does Eric Batista work harder than a single mom with two minimum wage jobs trying not to become homeless in Worcester?” Dani Killay asked. “I doubt he does.”
Batista is responsible for overseeing day-to-day municipal operations in New England’s second largest city. His salary was $275,000 when he began serving as city manager in 2022. If city councilors approve the new contract, his base salary will increase to $293,868 by the end of this year before jumping to $305,223 in July 2025 and then to $314,080 in July 2026.
For comparison, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s salary is $207,000 and is set to increase to $250,000 in 2026. Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang currently earns $318,000.
In addition to the annual salary increases, the new contract stipulates that Batista will always make $10,000 more than the next highest paid official in Worcester. Last year, that was Worcester Public School Superintendent Rachel Monárrez, who made $268,754.
During the meeting Tuesday, local blogger Nicole Apostola warned that clause in Batista’s proposed contract could violate Massachusetts’ Equal Pay Act if it automatically gives him a higher salary than Monárrez. The law prohibits employers from paying someone less than another employee who does comparable work, and Apostola noted that Monárrez oversees more staff than Batista.
Sue Mailman, a Worcester School Committee member, also called the provision arbitrary. She pointed out that because the school committee is responsible for setting Monárrez’s salary, the contract would immediately give the committee a lot of sway over Batista’s pay.
“It strikes me that the council would not want to give away their power to set the city manager’s salary by giving that power, frankly, to the school committee,” Mailman said.
Residents noted the City Council — responsible for hiring and firing the city manager — still hasn’t set any measurable goals for Batista, something it did for his predecessors. As a result, councilors have little to guide their evaluation of his performance and determine whether he deserves a raise.
Speakers also denounced a clause in the contract that gives Batista a $1,500 monthly stipend to pay for the costs of his personal car. Eric Stratton called the stipend “overkill” and said the city should instead cover his driving expenses using the IRS’ standard reimbursement rate of 67 cents per mile.
Neither Batista nor the councilors responded to any of the criticism. A spokesperson for Batista did not respond to a request for comment.
Reached by phone after the meeting, Mayor Joe Petty, who chairs the council, declined to comment on the contract proposal. He said councilors will hold a closed-door executive session before discussing it publicly at their next meeting.
