So for background, I work at a township office in a conservative town in America. It is a pretty decent job as I get to run my own department and get a pension once I am vested. I have been doing this job for 5 years now and am close to securing my pension so I do not really have an option to just up and leave considering that pension may help me in the future. My boss is an elected position and as of a few months ago my old boss retired and my new boss came into replace her after he won the election.
My entire office was terribly nervous to have a new boss because rumors were that he was going to clean house and we would all be out of a job. So after several nail biting months the time came in January where he officially took office. On day one he fired the 2nd in command and brought on a couple new people. I was lucky and did not get fired. He gave me a promotion to 3rd in command, and also gave me another position to do and my work load essentially tripled along with the new person I am responsible for training. He has given me full autonomy and things started to look up, because I figured a good raise would come with everything.
He sat me down after the promotion and asked me what I wished to have out of this job and I gave him the truth. Money and security. Primarily more money because my family and I struggle greatly to make ends meet. My wife is pregnant with our 2nd child and I would be needing more money to raise my growing family. He instantly said he understands since he has raised 6 kids and that come April the budget will reset and I will see a substantial raise for taking on so much and that before the raises were given he would would give me a review.
Well, April came by and finally several days ago I got my raise. My barely 2% raise! No review just a small insulting raise. Enclosed was a letter saying that he was so excited to give me my raise and thanking me for my efforts. Now I am just pissed and demoralized. I guess my 2% raise was substantial in his mind. But in my mind it was a slap to the face. It really took the wind out of me and left me with a sinking feeling for days. I was so upset that I just took some PTO the day after my raise. How am I supposed to do all this? My wife will not be working for months, I already commute over an hour and all our bills just keep rising. I feel like I am drowning and I feel like that meme with the guy in the water with his hand up and someone gives him a high five instead of actual help.
But what really pisses me off is that he just got another job in the municipality as the village manager and now we never see him. His checks in for 20 minutes and we don't see him the rest of the day. So this guy got elected by the people to do a township job and now he doesn't even do the job and he collects a paycheck for nothing. He gets paid 80k for this elected position that he doesn't even do. And here I am making sure the office stays a float and and now essentially running many facets of the office. The second in charge doesn't do much either. So while my workload triples, he does nothing at this office and still collects a pay check and on top of it he plans on running again once his term is up, and he will win because this is a red area and nothing democrat even exists here. So for the next 8 years he will just collect a paycheck meanwhile I'm here doing all the work.
It is hard for me to look past this. I kind of like him he is really nice and flexible and he trusts me to run the show as I see fit. My second in command doesn't really have much to do with my duties so I essentially am my own boss. But I am so fucking angry and downtrodden I don't know what to do. I can't just up and leave unless I can find another job with in the state so I can continue earning my pension. I don't expect answers or sympathy I just needed to vent and and this sub seemed like the appropriate place to do so.