Pay cut

Should councillors's pay be docked if they miss meetings?

A Toronto mayoral candidate thinks so.

Remember our friend Sarah Thompson (formerly Sarah Whatmough, who ran for Hamilton city councuil in 1997?) She says Toronto city councillors should be docked pay if they don't attend committee and council meetings.

I saw this article today and thought of Margaret McCarthy. I don't have a running tally, but if I had to guess, I would say McCarthy would be the Hamilton council member who would be most affected if a rule like this was implemented in Hamilton.  She has been absent for several key votes, including yesterday's big Pan Am vote and the Aug. 31 meeting when council directed staff to look at the MIP site.

As you can see in the Star article below, Thompson's targeting her rival, Rob Ford.

Cut pay for councillors who miss meetings, Thomson says
Toronto city councillors who don’t bother to show up for work should have their almost $100,000 annual pay reduced accordingly, says mayoral candidate Sarah Thomson.

Even the Senate of Canada, not noted for stellar attendance, deducts pay if senators are absent, Thomson told reporters Wednesday.

“We can and will have similar accountability at city hall,” she said.

Thomson said if elected she would work to bring in penalties so that if a councillor missed a three-hour committee meeting, he or she would lose three hours pay.

Councillors currently make $99,620 a year.

Thomson singled out front-running mayoral candidate Rob Ford for particular criticism.

She said Ford, a tireless critic of the city’s spending priorities, has been absent from budget committee meetings where issues are thrashed out and recommendations passed that go to council for final approval.

“This is a man who’s built his platform on budgetary restraint and yet hasn’t attended even one budget committee meeting in over a year,” she said. “Even I have attended more budget committee meetings and I don’t even work there.”

Thomson said committees – on budget, parks, planning, roads and other issues – allow councillors to influence policy and persuade other council members.

“Hard work isn’t just about being present when city council is sitting.” she said.

“I go to committee meetings to find out what’s going on, where the budget’s being spent and how it’s being spent. You really have to be educated to know. You have to go and educate yourself.”

Ford did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Ouch!

What do you think?

Comments

[ernest]

What a wonderful idea!I don't know if Hamilton city councilors make 100G/year but docking them $1000.00 per missed meeting will solve most absenteeism.

[Markalanwhittle]

Quite a noble thought Emma, better to use a punch-clock for committee meetings if attendance is the problem. Seems to work for industry, why not city hall?

Personally, I would like to see a massive restructuring, re-alignment and right-sizing of city hall.

If staff can move a lightening speed regarding the Pan-Am stadium, they should be able to find tons of tax-saving measures for long suffering home-owners with the same zeal, what's good for the Goose is good for the Gander.

[Alice]

I don't expect them to be at everything, perhaps 85% of meetings.

However, what I would really like to see is term limits on city councilors.

[Wendy S]

What about when councilors attend the meeting, but leave for a big chunk of it? I've been to meetings where they've had to stop the meeting because too many councilors have left the room for goodness knows what...

[Kathy Hagan]

certainly. They ran for office are paid too much and so should be penalized when they miss important meetings and sickness that requires a Drs note { like the rest of the workers}