As a going away present to her fellow City Council members, Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, renewed a discussion last week about increasing alder pay from part time to full time. Webber did not fully endorse such an idea at the present time but nevertheless sparked a discussion we feel compelled to contribute to.

So, where do we possibly begin addressing how terrible an idea this is?

Full-time pay would undoubtedly serve as an incentive for additional candidates to run. While there are certain districts that might be better served by more qualified individuals, the city is certainly not in a dearth of candidates or leadership. We do not believe salary should be the reason people run for City Council — it should be for civic duty and a desire to better Madison.

Some alders, like District 2’s Brenda Konkel and District 4’s Mike Verveer, have full-time jobs but still manage to serve their districts. Outgoing Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, is a University of Wisconsin student. In a comment on the Herald’s website, Webber said students have “flexibility” in their schedules, giving them greater opporunities to run. That may be partially true, but we doubt Judge’s professors rearrange exams and paper deadlines for him.

Finally, and most importantly, the timing of such a proposal could not be any worse. The city has not been exempt from the national economic crisis we face, and with budget cuts all but certain to come, such a costly proposal has no place in current budget talks. Robbie Webber’s leadership, although glib and self-serving, has always been relatively harmless. Here though, in her final swan song, she wades into the truly dangerous.This is a breathtakingly irresponsible suggestion.

Could this ever be a good idea? Maybe if the mayor wins the lottery, donates the money to the city, repaves every city street, beautifies every park, puts a cop on every poorly lit street downtown and still has money left over. Until then, we should count on city leaders to run for the right reasons.