The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
To many, the optics couldn't have been the greatest last week when city council approved their own pay raise. Though our elected officials are hardly raking in the dough, I'm sure there was some grumbling over the news. Coun. Nazir Ahmad has a point when he says that council having power over its own indemnity somehow "does not give the right impression to the public." It's true that if council were to link their wage to each term Ð pre-determined raises or no raise at all Ð the public would know ahead of time exactly how much their elected officials will be paid. Then perhaps concerns such as those of Coun. Ahmad would be addressed. But this would not escape one simple reality. As the highest authority in our municipal government, city council is the only body that can approve city council indemnities. It's part of their responsibility as stewards of the public purse. Besides, the current system is not one where councillors merrily up their paycheques on a whim. Instead, their raises are tied to those afforded to City employees. And when it comes time to accept any raise, council retains the right to approve or disapprove. This seems like a fair and reasonable arrangement. Of course there is the argument that the occupants of Council Chambers don't need a pay hike. It is absolutely true that no council is ever "forced" to bring in a raise, regardless of what other municipal, provincial and federal governments might be doing. But what about fairness? There are men and women with less important jobs who work fewer hours for more money than our councillors. If the former individuals enjoy wage boosts, why shouldn't the latter? Whether you agree or disagree at this point, keep in mind that even in 2007, at the end of council's 8.5 per cent raise, our mayor Ð whoever he or she is Ð will earn $18,054 per year (before taxes). According to the latest census data, that's less than 40 per cent of the average Flin Flon wage. And it's not a whole lot higher than someone flipping burgers full-time. Councillors, meanwhile, will earn $10,521, which works out to $404 every two weeks. I believe that this level of indemnity strikes a good balance. On the one hand, we don't want salaries at a point where candidates are perhaps more interested in the money than in serving the community. Nor do we want the opposite, where capable people decide that the time and flack Ð and believe me, there's a lot of flack! Ð isn't worth it. The great thing about democracy is that if you are sincerely troubled by council's raise, you can always have your say at the ballot box. One More Thing... With the federal election just 10 days away, things are really heating up in the Churchill Riding. While I believe I know who will win, I'm not at all prepared to lay down any bets. Indications are that whoever comes out on top, this will be a very interesting election both locally and nationally. Don't forget to cast your ballot on January 23. Local Angle runs Fridays.
