Richard Moore's Straight Talk Columns

A pay rise? Councillors deserve scrutiny

26/4/2011

I LOVE a good laugh and the best one I had this week was reading about how Tauranga City Councillors thought they deserved a pay rise.

Fair go, I almost burst my colostomy bag I was laughing so hard.

Okay the pay rise wasn't much, only 0.8 per cent, but that is on top of salaries beginning at $73,564.

And it is true the increases were forced on them by the Remuneration Authority, but the justifications councillors used as they pocketed the dosh showed that, to me, they were a little out of touch with reality.

Councillor Bill Grainger said ``100 per cent'' of his time went to council work and that he had left the real estate industry to become a councillor. Well, Bill, that's lucky for you because the housing market has tanked and one would suggest your paltry council salary of $73,000 is a pretty good guaranteed income.

Bill also said he had to work Saturdays and, sometimes, Sundays.

Ohhhhh, who the heck doesn't?

New councillor Tony Christiansen said he spent 49 hours a week on council duties. Very commendable Tony, however, that means you are paid 50 per cent more than the average wage for working nine more hours. Nice lurk.

Deputy Mayor David Stewart, who is on $84,242, said his role was not 9 to 5. Nor should it be. As deputy dawg in New Zealand's fifth biggest city it would be a sad indictment if it was.

The best of the defences, however, came from long-standing councillor Murray Guy. He said the pay rises were not exactly ``earth-shattering stuff''. He went on: ``Some of us have given up businesses where we enjoyed reasonable cash flows to do what we do for the community.''

Crikey, talk about leading with his chin.

We'd love to see an itemised list of exactly what you do for the community, Murray. And, to top it off, Murray reckoned councillors' salary levels needed to be compared with senior management roles at companies.

Huh? Like Lombard? Or Blue Chip? Or South Canterbury Finance?

Murray, if I was on the bridge of SS Tauranga sailing merrily into financial oblivion I wouldn't be so quick to want comparisons to private industry. In the real world of business bad decision making gets dealt with very quickly.

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OOOOOO, seems Councillor Murray Guy took umbrage about my questioning an appeal over the rejection of the Mount Hot Pools project.

In a letter to the editor, he claims the pools appeal may well save ratepayers money because to do the minimum work they need would involve consent anyway.

Then he finishes with a piece of advice to me: ``Get the discussion in the open, attend a meeting, get more facts, and you might just have a different opinion.''

Well, Mr Murray Guy of Pyes Pa, let me give you some advice.

Your council should get more debate in the open and not make so many decisions hidden behind closed doors. Your council should give everyone the facts about major projects and issues in this city, without being forced to do so by comments made by the media or ratepayers. We may then have a different opinion on what you and your colleagues are up to ... but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

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EASTER is a time we tend to see the good side of religion, although it doesn't stop some deranged loons igniting hatred through their own blind belief in theirs being the only religion in the world.

Take the idiotic US fundamentalist pastor Terry Jones.

A few weeks ago he burnt a Koran, the Muslim holy book, and that sparked riots in Afghanistan that led to the deaths of seven UN workers.

Of course the extremist Muslims went over the top about the insult to their religion but Jones blithely denied causing any trouble. This week Jones was briefly jailed for threatening public safety when he refused to accept a court order to stay away from a mosque in Dearborn, Florida.

The troublemaker brought it on himself because, in martyr mode, he refused to pay a $1 bail bond to stop being jailed. Anyway, the other day Pastor Terry almost shot himself in the foot - literally - when his .40 calibre handgun accidentally discharged when he was getting into his car.

Shame it didn't hit him in the head - the world would have one fewer extremist to deal with.

richard@richardmoore.com