Welcome to the nightmare.
• • • •
After a successful petition drive to get the screwy raise issue on the ballot, the city council took the easy route out and voted to just kill it.
But was the city council’s vote to kill the raises enough of a signal to the salary commission to finally behave?
Unfortunately, at the very same time the councilors were voting to throw out the raises, they were supporting the salary review commission’s action. Just crazy.
• • • •
Look, I have great respect for the members of our city council. I know most of them personally. They’re good people. But good people sometimes do stupid stuff. And the city council’s approach to the salary commission has been pretty stupid.
Ignoring the facts
Before the salary commission doled out the huge mayor’s raise — and big raises for the councilors, as well — they looked at salaries of elected officials at similar-sized cities. And guess what? The mayor was already being paid more than other mayors.
Faced with the overwhelming facts against any raise, the salary commission did what politicians sometimes do. Ignore the facts.
Now, a reasonable person would reasonably conclude that’s a bad idea. Not Councilor Jack Burkman.
“Looking at other cities and looking at comparables, that’s a trap. That means you’re always a follower and never a leader.”
Huh?
Councilor Burkman, you recently handed out a big raise to the city manager. You used comparables to support that big raise.
Why was it OK for you to use comparables then, but not now?
In addition, Councilor Burkman, this is what you want Vancouver to lead in? The highest-paid politicians?
Dinners are time-consuming
When Councilor Alishia Topper spoke, she wanted everyone to know the time commitment, the sacrifices made by elected officials.
“We’re giving of our time and ourselves because we want to serve, but it’s taking away from our families, it’s taking away from our careers.”
Huh?
Look. I get that going to luncheons and dinner events takes time. I go to plenty of these events, as well.
But I have no expectation there should be a little something extra in my paycheck. I’m simply happy to do it. As are hundreds of other folks who do the exact same thing at these events. I appreciate Councilor Topper and others attending, but I don’t see that attendance as any kind of sacrifice. Sorry.
The process worked?
I’ve suggested in earlier columns that the Salary Review Commission process is badly broken. With no practical oversight, the commissioners — as they have already shown — can do anything they want with taxpayer money. Interested in a $1 million raise? The salary commission has you covered.
City Councilor Ty Stober doesn’t see it that way. At Monday’s council meeting, he tried to make the case that the system now in place is just fine with him.
“The fact that we’re here tonight says yes, we do have checks and balances.”
Huh?
If it wasn’t for The Columbian banging away at this issue, if it wasn’t for dedicated citizens beginning a petition drive, if it wasn’t for thousands of citizens signing those petitions, those sweet raises would be set in stone. That’s the process that’s working for you?
Really, councilor?
• • • •
So here we sit, waiting to see what the Salary Review Commission does next.
Dear Commission: Please do the right thing this time.
Thank you.
