Dear Editor,
Re: Mayor and councillors get double-digit salary hikes, Dec. 18
I read that the mayor and councillors of Okotoks voted themselves a 13 per cent wage increase for the mayor and an 11 per cent increase for the councillors.
A number of statistics were presented in the story in relation to when they last had a raise, what that increase was in dollars and comparative data to similar municipalities. Thank you to the Wheel for reporting this information.
The optics of this move by our elected officials are just wrong on many accounts. At a time in Canada's history when economic struggles are at an all-time high, the current federal government is in economic disarray and the wage increases of many people in the public sector have not risen in many years, voting themselves (mayor and councillors) a wage increase of any amount is purely disrespectful.
These elected officials are not in a profit driven type of business, but a type of business where they serve the public who elect them and which is funded largely by taxpayer dollars.
I strongly suspect that many people upon hearing this would be disgusted that the mechanism is even in place for being able to vote yourself a wage increase. This needs to change and be an item of the voting process when an election occurs.
Allow the public a say with regard to a wage increase for individuals campaigning for positions of government. This would simply be another item for the public to vote on.
When has any other person working in a helping profession ever been granted the luxury of voting themselves a wage increase? Ask a teacher, a nurse, a snowplow driver, a speech pathologist, a sanitation technician or a multitude of other professions relying on a salary generated from public funds when was the last time they had a raise, and would they relish the ability or luxury to vote themselves a wage increase?
Yes, Mayor Tanya Thorn and councillors, this was a poor decision on your part, and you all should have taken into account the current economy in Canada, and not voted yourselves this wage increase.
You should have reported to the citizens of Okotoks that you do not feel comfortable voting for a wage increase. That decision would have made you leaders in your field and a story that would resonate with great respect for the people you serve.
A story such as this would also have resounding coverage with a much larger population of people outside of Okotoks and bode well in aiding the healing process for the distaste many people have for politicians.
Tom Fitzpatrick
Okotoks