Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - Erika Shields was confirmed as Buffalo's first female police commissioner Tuesday.
Buffalo's Common Council voting Shields in by a 5-4 vote.
A big issue with some of the of the no votes is Shields' $250,000 salary. It's a raise of $75,000 from the last Commissioner.
Council member Joe Golombek told WBEN last week that pay raise, paired with the proposed 25.8% tax levy increase by the Mayor, did not sit well with many in the city.
"Quite frankly, I'm not able to walk into a block club meeting, or into Wegmans, without someone stopping me about her salary," Golembek said Tuesday.
But not everyone was phased by the numbers.
"I understand the argument, but look deeper," Council member Rasheed Wyatt told WBEN Wednesday morning. "You'll see that there's many officers who are making six figures, but at least she's the Commissioner. I understand people's sentiment but you've got to look deeper. It's not just her salary. At least she's the Commissioner of Police. How do you justify the salaries of the other officers who are making $200,000? I can't."
Wyatt, along with Joel Feroleto, Bryan Bollman, David Rivera, and Mitch Nowakowski all voted to confirm Shields.
Shields will be officially sworn in May 4.
