What is ac

Sy fan Nobile

News Reporter

PAY raises for politi-
c'ans and public ser-
vints rarely go over
well with an overtaxed
public.

“fonday’s decision by
North Vancosver District
councillors to raise their pay
from: $19,810 to $29,715 was
no exception.

While Coun.
said the demands of the coun-
cillor’s job are never-ending
and the pay hike deserved,
public blasted the decision
while acknowledging it didn't
know what those job demands
are.

To get a better picture of
what a councillor does, the
News contacted five North
Shore councillors who bowed
out before November's clec-
tions.

Based on those discussions,
it appears the amount of work
and hours that go into the job
are driven by the councillor’s
other commitments, experi
ence and the size of their
municipalities and their bud-
gets.

All agreed, however, that
juggling a career and council
responsibilities is an increas-

. ingly difficult act.

They say councillors face a
number of duties that go
beyond attending Monday

ight meetings:
Mf inspection of development
sites;
@ answering resident requests
and phone calls;
@ meetings with developers;
@ reading all the material pre-
sented by a cautious staff that
would rather include all infor-
mation than exclude cata that
could haunt them late-;
speaking engagements;
@ GVRD committee 4290
ments;
B = municipal
appointments.

Councillors questioned
said they spent anywhere stom
12 to more than 35 hours a
week on council duties.

Summed up former West
Vancouver Coun. Andy
Danyliu: “I got paid slighty
less than I would have made at
McDonald’s, but it was a fot
more fun.”

The demands are a drain
on personal and company
time, said Danyliu. He said he
initially put in 30 hours a week
for council duties because of
the steep learning curve.

Later, he was able to do the
job in 20 hours a week. job
time taken for council duties
had to be made up in the
evenings, taking further tire
away from families.

com mittee

a

.Rosemary..

‘Burden...

0 Jil! Wiersma:
re Wea

ANDREW Smethurst said
Council approved its 50%

Like all other former coun-
cillors, North Vancouver
District’s Pamela Goldsmith-
Jones said it’s very difficult to
do a more than a nine-to-five
job and be on council at the
same time.

Because of the work
involved, Goldsmith-Jones
said the nearly $30,000 coun-

NEWS photos Mike Wakefield

North Vancouver District
pay hike too quickly.

said. Goldsmith-Jones, who
estimates she spent more than
35 hours a week on council
duties and most of the
$19,810 stipend on child care,
said the “almost punitive”
stipend paid to councillors
stems from the idea in B.C.’s
early days that councillors had
to be moneyed and own prop-

Ips extremely demanding asid also very stressful because you

are on like 2

a

‘go-round going from one commitment to

oo

“In thes day it cms like a Iarge increase but then it is a

lange municipa

ity.
— Former West Vancouver coun..Diana Hutchinson,

‘oa North Vancouver District

councillors’ pay hike.

eo” 000: ;
He's interesting work. Very rewarding. Like all jobs it bas its
down time, out I think it’s great to be part of the community.”
"= Hutchinson, on work as a councillor.

cillors in the district will pull
down is not enough, but a
step in the right direction.

“T would say $40,000 a
year isn’t out of order,” she

Better pay;

By fan Noble

erty to s

The attitude, which she
said was wrong, was the peo-
ple with money knew bes

ep

wweryone is capable of

James Kiteley

doing, this job and should be
given the chance of doin;

said.

Former West Vancouver
Coun. Rod Day said the
North Vancou District
councillors’ raise in the face of
government cutbacks is exces
sive and sets a bad example

“I think West Vancouver
council deserves a raise, but
nothing like that,” said Day.
“What's fair I really can’t tell
you.”

Day, a 60-year-old univer-
sity professor, said he spent up
to 20 hours a week on council
work and an average of 12
hours.

Many of the demands are
semi-social events like open-
ings and community events,
he said, and councillors can
decide ‘vhether they want to
go or not.

ay said maintaining his
teaching standards and attend-
ing to council duties became a
terrible strain.

etier council

To make good decisions, councillors have to be well-pre-

News Reporter
IF North Shore residents don’t want their coun-

cils filled with retired people, they may be facing
a tough decision, say two former councillors.

With more hours being demanded by municipal politics,
the day of the full-time councillor may be approaching, said
Andy Danyliu and Jim Cuthbert.

With part-time pay and a part-time effort, the full extent of
council] work can't be donc, Danyliu said.

Taxpayers, Danyliu said, have to face a choice: have councils
full of retired people or be prepared to pay enough to get younger
people to put aside their careers and perform public servicc.

“It may be the best money (taxpayers) pent,” he said.

Danyliu’s idea of full-time councillors at full-time pay drew
support: from former North Vancouver District Coun. Jim

Cuthbert.

pared, and to be well prepared takes a full-time commitment,
Cuthbert said.

“TL think it’s important for this municipality to be served by
full-time councillors,” he said.

Cuthbert said district council should h
pay raise, but he believes increased pay is justitied.

The stipend has to allow people to meet expenses like shel-
ter and food or t becomes a deterrent to serving, on council,
he said.

If younger candidates with families don’t run, their needs
will po begging, Duuy.tiu said.

North Vancouver I ct Coun, Janice Harris opposed the
raise for district councillors, saying the current $19,810 was

phased in its 50%

re councillors make $17,000 while Mor
incouver City councillors make $18,712.
One-third of a coun s stipend is tax-free and is meant

to pay for council -related expenses such as gas and supplies.

Friday, December 20, 1996 — North Shore News — 3

ors work

— a ‘Leesa Green

aes

: aa .
“Andrew Smethurst~

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

Residents debate
district council pay

From page 1

day maintenance can’t be done because of cutbacks, she said.

Compared with West Vancouver councillors making
$17,000 a year and North Vancouver City councillors pulling
in $18,712, the district raise is way out of line, Donald said.

Coun. Trevor Carolan’s line that you get what you pay for
did not wash with Donald.

“They are elected to do a job. They should be doing that
job whether there is a raise or not,” she said.

Barbara Tomlin said most people who a perform public ser-
vice deserve to be well-paid, but she’s not sure the raise was
reasonable.

With cutbacks in areas served by local government, the raise
retlects poorly, she said. Still, Tomlin added council pay should
not be so low it discourages people from running.

Like many others, gas jockey Andrew Smethurst acknowl-
edged he was uninformed when it comes to what councillors
do for their pay. But he said such a raise should have raken a
few months to be approved. “It shouldn’t have happened
overnight like that,” he said.

Leesa Green said she did not know how the raise was justi-
fied, but wouldn’t mind taking part in the spoils.

“It’s a nice little Christmas bonus for them,” she said. “Are
there any job openings?”

Jill Wiersma hopes councillors serve for civic duty rather
than monetary reasons because if they are serving for wealth,
they are in the wrong job.

Rosemary Burden said the raise is “rather a lor” but she
added she would have to kaow whether they have had other
raises in the last six years to derermine if Monday’s hike is out
of line.

In 19
199], it leaped to $18,000
the pay to $19,810, where it

though council approved the r.
be introduced to reflect the pay hi
ed in mid Janu

, council pay jumped from $U1,690 to $13,677. In
sin 1992 and 1993 pushed
ined until Monday’s rais

sc Monday, a bylaw will
and then likely be adopt-

re a Ey Ee

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