2544 replies to this topic

[spanky123]

^Only if Pam comes back.

Council can easily be a full time job if you really put your back into it.

The role of council is to provide strategy and oversight. Our Mayor and council think their job is to run the City. They have chosen to make this a full time job.

[Belleprincess]

It’s a double edged sword. On one hand I agree that council members are generally sjw types that flock to the position because they have an agenda...therefore we might be able to attract a different type of person to council if the pay was better. On the other hand, I agree that the current council makes this a full time job. They tackle issues that they have no business in - plastic bag ban, the ridiculous lawsuit etc. It would be like me going to work, staying late, doing things that weren’t in my job description- then forcing my boss to give me a 50% wage increase. This is probably where we are headed generally anyway. Buckle your seatbelts folks

[Tom Braybrook]

...listen, i have managed to turn retirement (basically doing nothing) into a full-time job for crissake...

[davidN]

It’s a double edged sword. On one hand I agree that council members are generally sjw types that flock to the position because they have an agenda...therefore we might be able to attract a different type of person to council if the pay was better. On the other hand, I agree that the current council makes this a full time job. They tackle issues that they have no business in - plastic bag ban, the ridiculous lawsuit etc. It would be like me going to work, staying late, doing things that weren’t in my job description- then forcing my boss to give me a 50% wage increase. This is probably where we are headed generally anyway. Buckle your seatbelts folks

Exactly. I wouldn't mind paying more ( a lot more) if we had people who weren't there for their own self aggrandization and thought things through to a logical real life conclusion. The current group of amateur social planners and failed academics "dabble" in areas they know nothing about and we are left with the aftermath of their "social" engineering.

Edited by davidN, 15 November 2019 - 07:49 PM.

[Rob Randall]

2002, 16,170 voters (31.33%)
2005, 17,015 voters (26.4%)
2008, 17,080 voters (27%)

2010, (by-election/referendum) 16,591 voters (25.95%)
2011, 17,249 voters, (26.3%)
2014, 24,665 voters (39.1%)

2018, 29,707 voters (33.5%)

 

Last by-election was 2010 where a controversial bridge spending referendum helped drive turnout to almost average levels.

[Mike K.]

Wow! 29,707 voters yielded 33.5% of eligible voters in 2018, while 16,170 yielded 31.33% in 2002.

[FogPub]

Wow! 29,707 voters yielded 33.5% of eligible voters in 2018, while 16,170 yielded 31.33% in 2002.

Population up 40-odd % over 16 years and still they keep building more condos, while adding little or no infrastructure to get any of those people efficiently from A to B other than a few separated bike lanes.  Oh, and a bridge that has less capacity (due to no rail component) than the previous one.

 

Good job, team.

[Mike K.]

Yes, interesting point. They killed rail and put in a bike lane.

[Casual Kev]

I'd never run for council no matter my passion in part because the wage is pathetic. Why would I stop my career and make pennies on the dollar in a high stress job? Even though the CoV isn't very populous we deal with all the economy and associated problems of a much larger city. We're the capital city, the major touristic destination, the center of commerce, the dumping grounds of the suburbs. The budget is worth hundreds of millions. So I do think the pay should reflect that.

Would I give this current council a raise, let alone a generous one? Hell no. So I'd advocate for a raise after the next election cycle. If you don't want bozos having a say on your property tax money, then don't pay them like they're bozos.

[Victoria Watcher]

the job would not be that stressful.

[Nparker]

...If you don't want bozos having a say on your property tax money, then don't pay them like they're bozos.

Is there any reason to believe that increasing the wages won't just mean the same bozos get paid more in 2022?

[rmpeers]

Is there any reason to believe that increasing the wages won't just mean the same bozos get paid more in 2022?

I believe there were at least a couple of non-bozo options in the past election; but the electorate decided they wanted leadership who would cover up sexual harrassment, make life less afforable and cause downtown to decline further.

[Nparker]

...the electorate decided they wanted leadership who would cover up sexual harassment, make life less affordable and cause downtown to decline further.

And I expect that same portion of the electorate will be just fine to re-elect those same folks at a higher wage.

[Awaiting Juno]

And I expect that same portion of the electorate will be just fine to re-elect those same folks at a higher wage.

 

So if the raise goes forward do we get one of the nifty awards like tent city did?  After all, having the highest paid council that is least able to stick to their mandate deserves some kind of award - maybe another Teddy is in the works.  

[rmpeers]

So if the raise goes forward do we get one of the nifty awards like tent city did? After all, having the highest paid council that is least able to stick to their mandate deserves some kind of award - maybe another Teddy is in the works.

Criteria are strict for those awards: you must, at a minimum, have provided safe haven for an organized drug gang presence, operated a bike chop shop, committed B&Es, contaminated a greenspace, and demonstrably have broken multiple bylaws. If you can't meet that standard, don't even bother applying.

[Casual Kev]

Is there any reason to believe that increasing the wages won't just mean the same bozos get paid more in 2022?

Yes, we'd still be subject to the whims of the electorate. But as the wage is right now it's genuinely a paycut for anyone who earns a bit more than minimum wage. That's not good when it comes to getting either working or professional class candidates. Without passive income or a political/self interested agenda it's a significant sacrifice to serve council before you factor in the actual job.

[gstc84]

Together Victoria has announced they’ll be endorsing a candidate in the by-election and opened their nomination proceedings today. I unfortunately think they have a leg-up but we really need more pragmatism and balance on this council.

[Rob Randall]

Presumably TV will re-animate a not-ready-for-prime-time hopeful from last election. Or a freshly-minted UVic grad. 

 

"My achievements as a member of the UVic Student Society included successfully advocating the expansion of the hours at the student counselling office as well as getting edamame beans added to the cafeteria menu. These successes show that I am fully prepared for the challenge of being a councillor for the City of Victoria!"

[Awaiting Juno]

Presumably TV will re-animate a not-ready-for-prime-time hopeful from last election. Or a freshly-minted UVic grad. 

 

"My achievements as a member of the UVic Student Society included successfully advocating the expansion of the hours at the student counselling office as well as getting edamame beans added to the cafeteria menu. These successes show that I am fully prepared for the challenge of being a councillor for the City of Victoria!"

 

If the person is capable of sticking to a prescribed mandate, that might be an improvement.  Now an ideal candidate would have launched a law suit using UVSS funds over an issue entirely outside the mandate of the UVSS....

[rmpeers]

Presumably TV will re-animate a not-ready-for-prime-time hopeful from last election. Or a freshly-minted UVic grad.

"My achievements as a member of the UVic Student Society included successfully advocating the expansion of the hours at the student counselling office as well as getting edamame beans added to the cafeteria menu. These successes show that I am fully prepared for the challenge of being a councillor for the City of Victoria!"

I can never tell what's a joke anymore.😡