The Budapest municipal government has seen a significant rise in both the number of advisors and their salaries recently. According to a report by Mandiner, based on a public records request, Marta V. Naszalyi, the former mayor of Budapest's District 1, who lost in last June’s election, has been working as an advisor on sustainability in the capital city mayor’s office since January, earning a gross 830,000 HUF (over 2000 EUR) per month. Interestingly, Budapest already had a sustainability advisor, Peter Rauschenberger, raising the question of why an additional expert was needed in this field.
Benedek Javor, a former Member of the European Parliament, currently leads Budapest in the EU Office in Brussels as a municipal chief advisor, earning 1.55 million HUF (almost 4000 EUR) per month. Javor, after not being re-elected in the 2019 EP elections, was later appointed to this role by Mayor Gergely Karacsony.
The number of advisors in Budapest’s municipal government has grown significantly:
In October last year, there were 11 municipal advisors and chief advisors, while the latest data now shows there are currently 19.
Salaries have also increased:
Remuneration has also grown for advisory positions. Zoltan Gal J., a former state secretary under Ferenc Gyurcsany's government, was previously the highest-paid advisor. His salary rose from 1.95 million HUF (almost 5000 EUR) to 2.01 million HUF (over 5000 EUR). Ambrus Kiss, former Deputy Mayor, saw his salary jump from 1.55 million HUF (almost 4000 EUR) to 3.18 million HUF (almost 8000 EUR), making him the highest-paid advisor. Both Gal J. and Kiss have strong ties to ex-prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany: Zoltan Gal J. served as a state secretary under both Medgyessy and Gyurcsany, while Ambrus Kiss was Chief of Staff to the Minister leading the Prime Minister’s Office until April 2009.
Other high-paid advisors in the Budapest Mayor’s Office:
Balint Misetics, chief advisor on housing and social policy, earns 1.05 million HUF(over 26 hundred EUR) per month. Janos Kendernay, a former LMP politician, serves as a city diplomacy chief advisor, earning 1.03 million HUF (25 hundred EUR) per month. Gabor Kerpel-Fronius, former deputy mayor, is now a municipal participation advisor, earning 1.13 million HUF (almost 3000 EUR) per month.
Is the Growing Cost Justified?
The increasing number of advisors and their salaries raises concerns about whether it is justified for a financially struggling Budapest to spend over 400 million HUF (over 1 million EUR) annually on advisory roles.
