Mr. Joe Sawchuk has written to complain bitterly about the high salaries paid to various municipal managers, and I find myself generally in agreement. That being said, I have to point out that his proposed solution, "vote everyone out," would be totally ineffective. We do not elect senior bureaucrats; they are all employees with long term contracts that cannot be broken without severe financial penalties. As much as I sympathize with Joe's position I fear he is misdirecting his effort.
I strongly recommend the reader to take time to view a few episodes of Yes Minister! This old BBC show is not just classic comedy, it clearly shows how career bureaucrats manipulate elected officials by giving them just enough information to make the decisions they are supposed to, and how senior staff protect their own jobs and prerogatives. Any newly elected official (speaking from experience) is entirely dependent on his/her/their/its permanent staff to function, so I doubt that electing all new representatives would lead to change.
In Lake Cowichan I have lived though many election campaigns in which at least one of the candidates ran on a platform to fire our chief administrative officer, but he survived five different mayors before retiring. The funny thing is that once elected mayor and council have to work with the permanent staff just to keep the doors open, and that free market Joe thinks so much of determines how much an experienced manager can demand. A quarter million a year may seem like a lot, but there are professional athletes getting paid that much per game for playing basketball and hockey. Joe might be right when he says it is "unbelievable!" but after a lifetime immersed in politics and government I suspect it may also be the price we have to pay to use the roads and bridges that take us to hospitals and schools.
I am always open to new ideas, though. Keep trying, Joe, and thanks for writing.
David Lowther
Mesachie Lake
