City Hall provides some amazing pay and benefits for staff, but the elected officials don't exactly enjoy the same standard.

A paltry pay increase to the Mayor and Council of Vancouver is long overdue, but as the article points out, our city is woeful when it comes to compensating out local representatives.

City Council is usually described as a half-time job, allowing for Councillors to maintain other employment.  The reality of the situation is a far different story, however.

Between Council meetings, appearances and events, constituent meetings, caucus meetings, reading and briefings and dealing with city staff, it is nearly impossible to be able to maintain any kind of professional normalcy away from City Hall.

I have never ascribed the act of seeking public office as a means to become rich, because aside from being a fallacy, it clearly involves more motivation than financial gain.  That being said, the new figure of $63,610 still seems a long way off from properly compensating Councillors for the 60+ hour weeks they put in for a “half-time” job.

If you’re on the Park Board, you’re even worse off.

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