Curfew, Pay Raise Are Up for Final Vote

Two politically hot topics--a daytime curfew for youth and a pay raise for City Council members--are on the agenda for final passage at Tuesday’s council session.

Both ordinance won preliminary approval on first reading at the council’s Oct. 28 meeting, both on 3-2 votes. If they pass Tuesday, they would take effect 30 days later.

“I’ll be voting for both,” Mayor Walter K. Bowman said this week. “The pay raise is only for $24 [a month], and the council didn’t give itself a pay raise for many years.”

The curfew won preliminary approval over strong objections from Councilman Tom Carroll and Councilwoman Mary Ann Jones. But the majority--Bowman and Councilwomen Cecilia L. Age and Gail H. Kerry--voted for the curfew.

The results of Tuesday’s municipal election could mean a change in council sentiment, however. Age and Kerry are stepping down because of term limits. Voters elected businessman Tim Keenan and teacher Anna Piercy to fill those two council seats.

During the campaign, Keenan said he opposes a daytime curfew for youngsters, while Piercy said she supports the idea. When new council members are installed later this month or in early December, Keenan could shift the balance to 3 to 2 against the curfew.

In an interview Wednesday, Keenan said he plans to propose repeal of the curfew soon after he takes office. “There is no one I found who is in support of it,” he said. “There is overwhelming sentiment in the community against a curfew.”

While school and law enforcement officials say a daytime curfew for those younger than 18 would reduce truancy and crime, opponents say it would violate the rights of teenagers and might cause them to fear police. Youngsters out of school without valid excuses could be cited.

On the pay raise issue, Bowman, Carroll and Jones voted in favor, with Age and Kerry opposed. Kerry said it would be inappropriate for the council to raise its own pay before negotiations are completed with city employee unions for their new salaries.