You get what you pay for

It’s never a popular decision to increase the pay of politicians.

But in the case of Charlottetown’s mayor and city councillors, to offset the loss of a long-standing federal tax break, a pay raise is fair this time around.

At last week’s city council meeting, Gerard Mitchell, chairman of the Remuneration and Allowances Commission, delivered a report that estimates the loss of the federal tax break on Jan. 1, 2019, works out to about a $10,000 hit for the mayor, $4,400 for the deputy mayor and $3,950 for councillors. As a result, Mitchell, the former referendum commissioner, is calling for base salary increases of $4,000 for the mayor, $3,300 for the deputy mayor and $3,000 for city councillors. These increases will partially offset the tax change that previously left one-third of a municipal politician’s salary tax-free.

As it stands now, our mayor makes $70,899 a year, the deputy mayor $38,697 and councillors $35,449. Not bad for part-time jobs.

In terms of pay increases, it’s not like we’re alone on this. Other municipalities have already increased compensation as a result of the loss of the federal tax break.

Mitchell also recommended that mayors be limited to two terms, a position that Charlottetown’s Mayor Philip Brown supports.

This is also a good idea since it would limit the stranglehold some mayors have on the position and encourage more members of the public to run for the top job.

Mitchell would also like to see the position of mayor be made into a full-time job. This certainly makes sense since the job of a municipal politician in a city the size of Charlottetown (and larger) is a full-time commitment.

There’s much more to it than regular council meetings. There’s committee work and dealing with constituents seven days a week.

At last week’s council meeting, three councillors balked at the pay increases and voted against first reading of the motion. Second reading is expected on Feb. 10.

Some residents agree that the pay increases are a bad idea. Not surprising, 68 per cent of respondents in a Guardian online readers’ poll said the salary increase wasn’t fair.

This is certainly in line with the low opinion a lot of people have with politicians, including the opinion that they are already overpaid.

Residents have every right to question and scrutinize how their tax dollars are being spent.

Pay raises for politicians are no different than any other line of work. As the pay increases, so too do the expectations. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

In this case, the pay increases are warranted.

It sends the right message that if you want to attract the best and the brightest to public service, then you have to pay them accordingly.