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.
Park Board Commissioners make approximately $12,000 a year for what I have been told can constitute working weeks of 20-30 hours – with no increase in sight any time soon.
A city of Vancouver’s size, particularly with an at large system, means that responsibilities are for more pronounced than the other cities listed in the above-linked article.
Now while I don’t think that municipal parties have had trouble attracting quality candidates, future generations of candidates are going to be heavily courted by a number of industries facing the crunch of demographics.
Public service is honourable and worthy of respect, yet as we have all seen over the past few years, the level of personal, professional and character attacks on elected officials has reached an all-time high – particularly in this city.
Couple this with the deep personal sacrifices one makes with regards to their relationships and families, and the fact that the wages do not in any way match up to the overall output of what is required in the job, and I feel as though the appeal of political office will continue to dwindle. And if you don’t believe me, just talk to the NPA.
With the rate of increase that the Vancouver Mayor and Council are attached to, they will never catch up to their counterparts across Canada. The kind of salary adjustment needed to be on par would require of an act of Council by way of a vote – a scenario that is unlikely to ever happen.
Like them or hate them, agree with them or not, your elected officials in Vancouver are working hard for their money. They deserve our respect and our gratitude for the time that they put into representing our best interests.
