DULUTH (AP) — The mayor of Duluth is turning down a nearly $20,000 pay raise, saying he has enough to be thankful for and doesn't feel comfortable accepting a salary bump right now.

Mayor Don Ness turned down the City Council-approved pay raise in a letter to the city auditor Wednesday. The raise would have increased his salary to $97,500.

Ness says he'll cap his salary at $78,000 until his term expires at the end of 2015. He says the mayoral salary should be increased — but after the next election.

This was the first time in over a decade that council members took action on mayoral pay.

Ness says he wrestled with the decision, but worried about his ability to represent the city with the weight of the increase.

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