Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The highest-paid mayor in the U.S. could soon come from a coastal New England town best known for its naval warship museum and ties to two U.S. presidents.
Quincy, a Boston suburb with a population of about 100,000, is preparing to sign off on a recommended 87% to 133% pay increase for its long-serving mayor, Thomas Koch.
Koch, who started his seventh term this year, currently makes about $159,000 has not taken a pay raise in nearly a decade. He took office in 2008.
“By any standard, that’s a bit of a long period of time, particularly given some of the price level changes we’ve had recently,” consultants hired to assess his salary said at last week’s city council meeting. “Setting a static level and leaving it static for nine years, like has been the case, is probably not optimal.”
The potential raise was not reflected in the proposed budget brought to the council on May 6. Koch said he will be “bringing in a separate order the next council meeting” on May 20 “to deal with the mayor’s and the city councilors’ raises.”
“We’ll make the adjustment as needed in the budget,” Koch said Monday night.
Dorminson Consulting of Boston suggested officials consider a $298,000 to $370,000 salary for Koch. The proposed $370,000 salary would be a $211,000 raise, or about a 133% increase from Koch’s current pay. If the council signs off on the higher end of the suggested range, it would make Koch the highest paid mayor in America.
The firm told the councilors they took into account the city’s population, consumer price index and a survey of more than 1,200 mayors and city managers’ salaries.
At Monday’s city council meeting, Koch called Quincy’s budget “stable,” with the city not needing to make any layoffs or cuts, unlike many of its neighbors.
“Quincy’s been on a pretty good run. We don’t live here, but we are financial economists at heart, and we know what we’re looking at. You’re on a good run,” the consultants told officials. “The consequential effects of trying to undercut quality is going to be tough to overcome.”
Quincy is the seventh-largest city in Massachusetts. A one-time major producer of granite, the city touts its status as the birthplace of former Presidents John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams as well as John Hancock. Perhaps more culturally important for Massachusetts residents, it’s also where Dunkin’ Donuts was founded.
The mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, is currently the highest earning mayor in the country, with a salary of about $357,000. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass comes in second with a salary of $301,000.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was the city’s 418th highest-paid employee in 2023, with a salary of about $258,000.
In 2022, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s salary was upped to to $250,000 starting in 2026. Massachusetts’ second-largest city, Worcester, pays City Manager Eric Batista a salary of $313,000.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Gerrit Cole throws and participates in drills in Tampa | Yankees Spring TrainingDuring a Yankees’ spring training workout, ace Gerrit Cole threw, ran and participated in drills, as teammates also got defensive work in. Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells, Max Fried, Jose Caballero, David Bednar and Paul Goldschmidt also warmed up and got loose for the day.
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Boston Bruins
BOSTON (AP) — Lukas Reichel had a goal and an assist in his Boston debut, Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves and the Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-1 on Thursday night to end a two-game losing streak.
David Pastrnak scored his 27th goal of the season and had an assist. Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Vacha also each had a goal and assist, and Fraser Minten and Jonathan Aspirot added late goals.
Fighting for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, the Bruins finished in regulation for only the second time in seven games. They were coming off overtime losses at New Jersey on Monday night and Montreal on Tuesday night.
Jonathan Toews ended Swayman’s shutout bid on a tip-in at 5:38 of the third. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots for Winnipeg.
Reichel came to Boston from Vancouver at the trade deadline and was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old German winger Reichel made it 2-0 at 6:23 of the second period. Hellebuyck misplayed the puck behind the net on a wraparound, inadvertently knocking it out front for Reichel to swat in.
Pastrnak opened the scoring with 5:08 left in the first. He got the puck back off his own rebound, moved to the front and fired in a wrister.
Arvidsson knocked in a backhander off a scramble with 1:44 remaining in the second, and Zacha scored at 3:15 of the third.
After Toews put Winnipeg on the board, Minten had a tip-in with 4:08 left and Aspirot capped the scoring with 1:42 to go.
The Jets opened a three-game trip after an eight-game homestand.
Jets: At Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Bruins: At Detroit on Saturday night.
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Few columnists can say their words triggered that kind of reaction. Shaughnessy could and often did.
It’s work like that and much more over a 53-year career that has earned Shaughnessy the 2026 Red Smith Award. The award is presented by the Associated Press Sports Editors each year to a writer or editor who has made major contributions to sports journalism.
Shaughnessy grew up in Groton, Mass., about 35 miles west of Fenway Park. His love of Boston sports comes naturally. His knowledge and experience are unquestioned. But as a sports columnist, he has long been a polarizing figure.
“He views himself as the ombudsman for the fans,’’ said Bob Ryan, his fellow Globe columnist and a Red Smith Award winner, too. “He definitely feels that his job as a columnist is to afflict the comfortable. He inherently challenges authority. He knows there’s going to be pushback. He doesn’t mind it; he can take it. He is fearless in that regard.’’
There has certainly been pushback in sublime and ridiculous ways.
At Fenway Park, Shaughnessy likes to position himself on the suite level during games. People with information they want to share are constantly parading past. Unhappy with this, Red Sox management instructed a security guard to escort him back to the press box. Undaunted, Shaughnessy solved the problem by getting a ticket from a suite owner he knew.
Then there was the man in full clown regalia on the streets of New Orleans before the Super Bowl in 1997 who recognized him.
“Shaughnessy, you suck,’’ he yelled.
Dan’s response: “Well, you’re a clown.’’
None of it ever stopped him from writing what he believed needed to be said. He is known for biting criticism, but he is a gifted writer when crafting a poignant, touching tale.
“Whatever he was doing, whether as a beat writer or a columnist, he would always know what story was the most important one to write,’’ said Don Skwar, the Globe sports editor who named Shaughnessy a columnist. “He’s a really good reporter and he knew what people wanted to read about. He had a bead on what was most important.’’
Despite his reputation, not every reader, fan, athlete or coach dislikes Dan. In fact, perhaps the grumpiest of all, Bill Belichick, likes him. During one Super Bowl week, Belichick agreed to take a survey Dan devised, featuring questions of incredible importance, such as Coke or Pepsi? Mary Ann or Ginger?
That may seem trivial; Dan’s work mostly wasn’t.
He has been named the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year 14 times and has earned APSE Top 10 columnist honors in the large-circulation category 15 times, including this year. He is the author of 13 books, most notably “The Curse of the Bambino,’’ which chronicled the tribulations of the Red Sox as they failed to win the World Series from 1918 until 2004.
Despite his great love of sports, Dan himself would acknowledge he was not a great athlete. It makes it all the more remarkable that he and his wife of 44 years, Marilou, have had three Division 1 athletes – daughters Sarah and Kate, and son Sam. With five grandchildren, there may be more big-time athletes on the way.
Despite a career forged in print journalism (and Dan has never forsaken his beloved print readers), he clearly discerned the best way to acquire readers was to adapt to the changes in how his column was delivered. He adapted his habits to make sure his column was in front of online readers at the best time of day.
His columnist persona is also balanced by his charitable work, notably with The Jimmy Fund and UNICEF. His connection to The Jimmy Fund is especially personal – his daughter Kate is a leukemia survivor. His co-workers will tell you he is a great teammate, someone willing to assist colleagues from the sports department’s high school writers to its managers, and even the Globe’s “Love Letters’’ columnist.
Shaughnessy was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award in 2016. He is the ninth person to win that award and the Red Smith, joining Red Smith, Shirley Povich, Jim Murray, Joe McGuff, Wendell Smith, Sam Lacey, Jerome Holtzman, and Thomas Boswell.
He is the sixth person associated with the Boston Globe to receive the Red Smith Award, joining Bud Collins, Dave Smith, Vince Doria, Leigh Montville, and Ryan.
Garry D. Howard, Hal Bodley, Mark Whicker, Michael Wilbon, and Gary Smith were the next five candidates receiving the highest totals in this year’s Red Smith voting and will automatically return to the ballot in 2027.
Joe Sullivan was sports editor of the Boston Globe from 2004 to 2018.
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