The subject of compensation for the city’s future mayor created an uneasy discussion at Bremerton City Council’s Wednesday night study session.

Council member and mayoral candidate Will Maupin said the topic was being brought up in retaliation to earlier conversations dealing with the reduction of council positions, but he would be open to discussing the matter.

“If we are going to look at this, let’s take a serious look,” he said.

The plan, as read by Councilman Roy Runyon, would reduce the mayor’s salary from $117,671 to $93,671 and remove all cost of living allowances.

Councilman Mike Shepherd said the idea has been brought up before and the council should really consider the reduction because “the mayor should be a leader.”

Council president and interim mayor Cecil McConnell said waiting to change the mayor’s salary after the primary is unfair.

“It looks like you are punishing (the mayoral candidates) who made it through,” McConnell said, citing the mayor’s salary is lower than most of the city’s department heads now.

The council also discussed a plan to finance the boardwalk project using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 108 funds. The council asked questions pertaining to the payback options of the loan which would be guaranteed by the city’s Community Development Block Grant. Information about the Section 108 program can be found on the HUD Web site.