All of Richmond city council voted Monday (Jan. 20) to publish consolidated reports about how much the mayor and each councillor earns.
While these reports are made public separately – published by entities such as Metro Vancouver, TransLink and the City of Richmond - Coun. Kash Heed put forward a motion to have them consolidated and published as one report.
Mayor Malcolm Brodie, however, suggested an amendment to Heed's motion asking that the city also publish the attendance of himself and councillors at city hall meetings, boards and community events.
“…to have a consolidation of finances, without a consolidation that gives some depth to the analysis, I think is making a mistake,” Brodie told council.
This amendment didn’t pass, however, with Coun. Carol Day saying it would be like “herding cats” to gather this information.
Coun. Laura Gillanders said recording attendance at community events would take away from the sincerity of councillors’ presence, and make it seem like they’re attending because it’ll show up on their “report card.”
“We go (to community events) because we’re interested in the community and it’s an opportunity to network with members of the community,” Gillanders said. “I don’t want to feel like I’m reported on… at the end of the year. It makes me feel not genuine.”
Furthermore, Gillanders said the motion was a “defensive reaction” to perceived judgment on how much councillors are earning.
But Brodie argued that, in addition to showing monetary compensation, there should be a “qualitative aspect” that shows what city council does to earn its salary.
“It’s not enough to point at someone’s compensation,” Brodie said. “Let’s have some detail around that.”
He added he didn’t understand what councillors were “afraid of” by not reporting on their attendance as city councillors.
“If we’re talking about transparency, openness, accountability, we have to talk about what members at this table are doing for their roughly $100,000 that they are making,” Brodie said.
Several councillors noted attendance at committee and council meetings are already recorded.
In the end, the motion to report on council attendance was defeated with Couns. Heed, Gillanders, Day, Michael Wolfe and Bill McNulty voting in opposition.
Brodie earned about $360,000 in 2023. This included about $237,000 for his mayor’s salary, benefits and expenses, about $45,000 from Metro Vancouver, $40,200 from TransLink and about $28,000 from the Municipal Finance Authority.
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