The recent move by the Slidell City Council to deny a 15 percent salary increase to Cultural & Public Affairs Director Kim Bergeron has shocked area business leaders.

“She has so much passion and enthusiasm for what she does. She works around the clock,” said Mary Dubuisson, a member of the city’s Commission on the Arts. “We will lose an incredibly valuable asset if she is not adequately compensated for all her hard work.”

The motion to grant the increase died on the floor during Tuesday’s meeting without being seconded. While Bergeron did receive the same 3.9 percent increase granted to all city employees, the proposed increase would have bumped her up about $6,200. The only other department head to receive an increase was Director of Engineering Donna O’Dell, who was granted an 11 percent raise, about $6,800.

Dubuisson and other business leaders sent out a barrage of emails in Bergeron’s defense Friday, urging residents to contact the City Council to protest the move. The messages cited Bergeron’s successes in grant writing alone, which have brought in over $100,000 in cultural funding.

Slidell Mayor Ben Morris confirmed he was “bothered by the whole process.”

“It seems like we were sandbagged,” said the mayor. “We’re supposed to work as a team, and there was absolutely no discussion, no chance to hear everyone’s views.”

Morris went on to say he’d already received several calls on the matter, and that Bergeron has helped “put Slidell on the national map.”

Bergeron has worked for Cultural & Public Affairs for about five and a half years, moving into the director position in 2006. She admits that while she didn’t quite know what to expect prior to Tuesday’s meeting, she was stunned to learn the item didn’t even get to a vote.

“The arts are the second largest industry in the state,” said Bergeron. “I really want to remain positive, but this is a real blow.”

The outpouring of support she’s received has been “overwhelming,” she said. She has expressed her gratitude to the mayor, Chief of Staff Bob Dunbar, Deputy Chief of Staff Tara Ingram-Hunter and Councilwoman Kim Harbison, who were all in favor of the proposed pay adjustment. Many of those individuals fear Bergeron will now move on to pursue other options.

Indeed, she admits that opportunities have come her way that are double and triple her current salary.

“Given the current situation, it would be foolish not to consider it, but I can’t confirm or deny any decision right now,” she said. “I love what I do for this city, and I’m so glad my staff and I have been able to make a difference.”

Bergeron has been short staffed since assuming her role, at times single-handedly performing the jobs of three people in the office. Still, she’s managed to secure a 100 percent renewal rate in corporate sponsorships for the city’s cultural programs. Every grant she’s secured for the city has also been the highest amount available from each funding source.

Most recently, the city received a $25,000 grant from the St. Tammany Tourist Commission to install a 20-foot projection screen and high-tech video system in the Slidell Municipal Auditorium. This is the first time the city has gotten a grant from the commission, and Bergeron is thrilled about the possibilities presented by the new equipment.

“I’m really hoping to start a student film festival,” she said. “I’d also like to have regular showings of foreign and independent films.”

The grant money and corporate sponsorships have meant significant savings to taxpayers, as the city’s portion of event funding has been reduced. Bergeron also noted that in a post-Katrina world, the events have helped people forget their misery for a while.

“It’s as important to fill the holes in people’s hearts as it is to fill the holes in the streets,” she said.