I would be most happy to hear feedback and thoughts on my thinking and my actions outlined below. Maybe, I made a mistake. I don't currently think so. But I am always open to feedback and thoughts. I hope I tried my best, in this situation, to secure something I have heard many citizens say would be an excellent initiative.
In my May 16th post on how city council wages should be determined, I suggested that council form an arms length, broad based citizen committee to research, review, and recommend council wages. This would, to a large extent, take the issue out of council's hands. The big issue for me and, I think, for many others, is politicians deciding their own pay. It's very awkward and looks incredibly self serving, no matter how noble the intent.
I also stated that, for me, now is not the time to support a council pay raise.
But, at the June 11th meeting, I was faced with a choice. After 5 motions that failed to pass (including one I proposed to form a committee before the election with no raise in 2014) and a very long discussion, the motion on the table proposed both the formation of a citizen committee and a raise in 2014.
The raise embodied in this motion troubled me, even more so because it would be in place before the 2014 municipal election. I would prefer the practice of any raises being implemented for the council that comes in after a municipal election.
But, I wasn't sure if the committee would pass if not combined with a raise. I am not sure there would be the appetite among council to debate a 7th motion on the issue at the meeting. And if the motion that combined the committee with the raise failed, I was not confident the prospect of getting a committee would happen again for a long time.
My thinking is that if the committee was approved and worked, then for a very long time, this discussion might be taken out of council's hands. I think this is a greater good that is not diminished greatly by an approx $8000 cost of a pay raise for all councillors in 2014. I would have not supported any pay raise on its own. But getting the committee, I felt, was worth supporting a pay raise. It might be that last time in Kamloops that a council decides it's own pay.
Just to be consistent with my earlier position, I have decided to donate my pay raise in 2014 to charity. I don't do this to make any of my colleagues look bad. They are all thoughtful and good people with their own decisionmaking processes. I know, for me, there are tv tapes and articles archives with a lot of my quotes about how I did not want a pay raise. And I don't want to be haunted by my own words. I tossed and turned quite a bit the night of the June 11th council meeting.
I am very happy that a citizen committee is now being set up. I know some in the community are leery of the effectiveness of such a committee but my past experiences suggests the committee process on this issue can be extremely effective and successful.
