I hope there isn't a voter na ve enough to believe that. The truth is that the new ethics code is just a fa ade with few substantive changes from the old code. The council took care of that before they passed it. In at least one case, the new code is worse than the old. Those who hold up the new ethics code as a reason to vote for pay are simply using it as a public relations ploy.
Council members deserve more pay because they spend so much time on the job.
Time spent is up to the individual council member. Pay won't change that. Some council members are rarely seen by their constituents unless they're raising campaign contributions. Some spend most of their time with the moneyed power brokers building financial support. Increasingly, the Council cancels regularly scheduled agenda and briefing meetings to attend national conferences.