Editor,
Enough Bryan Raiser!
It seems whenever I read the newspaper lately you are at the forefront of trying to implement a salary increase for mayor and councilors ["Council raise defeated," The Chief, March 26].
When you ran for office were you so naive that you did not know what your position would involve?
Whether it is the weekend, weekdays, evenings, you are "always on" - that is a given. It goes hand-in-hand with running for office.
Your constituents may not know political protocol, but simply want answers or information regarding the town's future sustainability, solutions to problems, etc. and find easy answers to these questions when they encounter you outside of Municipal Hall.
Last Friday's The Chief stated the following: "Raiser said the salaries are barriers to running for council for a large number of eligible citizens."
Since when is salary part of running for office? I always thought the person running for office was someone who either did not like the way the town was being governed or a person who thinks he/she could be more productive in their community or simply loves the political arena.
I would have to question someone's integrity if they ran for office simply for the remuneration they could receive.
Speaking of which, do you not receive an expense account and is free fuel/car laptop, auto insurance included?
I am not sure what the muni's expense entitlement covers. However if it does cover those items mentioned, then the overall salary puncture is now much brighter.
Perhaps in lieu of a whopping salary increase for the mayor (for those kind of salaries the mayor could run for office in fairyland just 30 minutes north on Highway 99) another salary structure could be considered.
Example - when management and union settle their negotiated contract and a wage percentage has been agreed upon the mayor and councillor could also receive the agreed to percentage.
If it is a three per cent increase for one year, and the mayor's salary is $46,912 then his increase would be $1,407 for that year.
Looking at your wage increase for the mayor in office for at least a good 10 years for a $14,762 wage increase. Has anyone stayed in office that long?
Homeowners, workers, pensioners get very little raises if at all. This does not deter our government from increasing taxes on gas, hydro, B.C. Medical.
We are a community of 15,000 population and not all are taxpayers, so I ask you Mr. Raiser which services will you have to cut to feed this salary request? Because I know this request will be coming back in the future years.
If you find your workload overwhelming I am offering my assistance at any time.
My background was a municipal worker in a city of 100,000 population. I am an expert multitasked, as my former employer will attest.
I attended numerous by-law, ad-hoc, pharmacare meetings and the list goes on.
I also worked eight hours a day, raised a family and did it all without expecting any recompense. Do you know why? Because I knew what I was getting into!
With six councillors for 15,000-plus constituents, I am amazed you cannot handle the job load.
City of 100,000 constituents, 12 councillors, you do the math.
So Mr. Raiser (also councillors Heintzman and Lonsdale) stop your whaa-whaaing about wages and handle the work and job you chose to run for.
Sandy Toppazzini
Squamish
