Mayor Jim Paine—The “Self-Care” Mayor Who Sends You the Bill

(SoupNutz fires up the snark furnace for Superior’s top seat-warmer.)

42 % Raise, 0 % Added Value

Since 2018, the Mayor’s Office ballooned 42 percent—no new staff, no new services, just fatter paychecks for two people. That’s administrative inflation even Weimar would side-eye.

$50K “Nap Money”

The city spent $50,000 on a “neutral” investigation so Mayor Jim could—his words—“sleep well at night.” Call it taxpayer-funded melatonin.

Text-Gate: Scripted Democracy

Leaked messages read like City Hall rehearsing a coup. Apparently the mayor prefers his public forums pre-taped and spoiler-free.

Budget Extras: Champagne Taste, Two-Person Crew

2026 budget lists $312,168 for just Mayor Paine and his “Chief of Overtime.” Extras jumped 17 percent in one year, mostly health insurance. Nice benefits—shame about the roads.

Wetlands & Family Deals

Emails hint the mayor may have used city muscle to smooth a family property project. If true, that’s not public service— that’s home-improvement–with-benefits.

Tourism Titanic

Under his watch, Superior’s visitor numbers sank like the Edmund Fitzgerald. Leadership? More like absence-ship. tourism flop column

“I Can Sleep at Night”—We Can’t

When residents crowd-fund alley repairs and sip lead-flavored water, hearing the mayor brag about shut-eye feels like a lullaby played on our last nerve.

Mic-Drop

Hey, Jim Paine: Self-care is cool, but maybe try self-funding next time. Superior doesn’t need another mission-statement mug; it needs paved streets and pipes that won’t pickle the kids.

#SelfCareMayor

#BudgetBloat

#TourismTank