Anonymous survey emboldens some city councillors to complain about pay - and each other
Shielded by anonymity, a survey of London city councillors offers an unvarnished look at how they view their salary, workload, and colleagues.
Nine of the 14 members of city council recently answered a series of questions for consideration by the Council Compensation Task Force.
The task force is made up of community members who will recommend how much councillors should be paid next term (2022-2026).
The written comment provided anonymously by a councillor identified as #7 contains several complaints about the current compensation of $52,725 a year, including:
“Councillor’s (sic) currently make less than their own admin. assistants… where else in any workplace would you find that?”
Also, “If staff were compensated the way council is, it would be called exploiting employees.”
Each year, council must vote to either accept or decline an inflationary increase to their pay based on the Consumer Price Index or the Labour Index, whichever is lower.
Anonymously, Councillor #9 refers to the process of approving their own raise as, “an annual controversial virtue signalling event.”
Sharp-tongued Councillor #7 writes, “It is a political circus and a distraction for the council and residents of London.”
Former city councillor Sandy Levin sat on a previous Council Compensation Task Force.
Levin says, “It’s almost the exact same feedback as 2013. Concerns about the quantum of compensation, concerns about the amount of work.”
Calling for a fair distribution of pay based on workload, the councillor identified as #4 writes of colleagues, “Many sit on standing committees that meet the fewest (times) and have (the) lightest workload.”
“Its not surprising that some feel others are not pulling their weight, but that often happens in a lot of workplaces,” Levin explains.
The survey also offers a glimpse at the hours spent on municipal business by city hall’s decision-makers.
All nine councillors identified ‘responding to emails’ as consuming the most or second-most number of hours in their week.
Otherwise, councillors prioritize their time very differently.
Councillor #5 estimates weekly preparation for committee meetings takes 11-15 hours, but Councillor #1 estimates just 90 minutes.
Anonymously #1 explains, “the more experienced I become, the better I am able to prioritize my time. You can spend 30 hours a week or 70 hours a week depending on issues in your ward and if you want to do more.”
Levin believes surveying current members of council doesn’t offer the task force with good input for decision making.
He recommends future task forces including a councillor who did not returning from the previous term, “When you don’t have that, you are missing that point of view”.
Despite their complaints about pay, Councillor #7 states,“There can be many sleepless nights of concern for the people we are sent to represent.”
The anonymous survey of councillors, and a separate survey of residents, will be in front of the Council Compensation Task Force next week.
The task force has been directed to complete a report recommending councillor pay by March 31.
“It’s a tougher job than ever before,” admits Levin. “But trying to pick the right number, some with be satisfied, some will always be disappointed.”
A link to the survey can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in father's drowning, told police he was baptizing him
A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his father's head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.