Stratford pay sheds light

I have read with great interest the pay raises Stratford Town Council recently voted in. In 2016, Stratford had a population of 9,006 residents.

The new raise was their first since 2001, and it will be implemented over two years. In 2016 the mayor of Stratford received $13,333; deputy Mayor,$8,480; and councillors $7,509. Compared to the City of Summerside, with a population of about 14,800 residents, whereby the mayor receives about $53,500/year, with only a difference of about 4,000 residents. This is really astounding.

Is this is one reason why Mayor Bill Martin and council did not answer my letter to the editor some time ago? With these embarrassing figures, the entire council should hide their faces in shame. I just read a recent study that noted Summerside doing very well as a town. Personally, I may compare us to Amherst or Truro, N.S., but certainly not a city.

‘Small City with Big Ideas’ and excessive spending is putting us further in debt each day. This council has totally forgotten what living within our means and only paying for what we can afford.

I am still waiting for my answer form the mayor and council. Maybe this will stir them up, they are fooling no one. Once elected they all change, mostly for the compensation they vote on for themselves.

The silence of council on their raises is scathing at best. Let’s not forget the City of Summerside councillors took a raise of about 22 to 24 per cent since being elected. Shameful.

David Griffin Summerside