Wanted: a leader of one of the most highly criticized organizations in Greater Vancouver. Must be willing to live in a fishbowl and have your every move scrutinized while you work to solve one of the thorniest issues facing the region.
Must also be able to satisfy millions of commuters and a host of municipal and provincial politicians with divergent interests.
If ever there were a job that sounded like it needed danger pay, it would be the CEO of TransLink.
And yet, compensation for the position is a controversy, even before the interviews have begun.
Last week’s online job posting for the position, which indicated a salary of $320,000 plus a bonus of up to 30 per cent, plus a host of other benefits, has provoked outrage from Transportation Minister Todd Stone, Lower Mainland mayors and B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Jordan Bateman, who led the No forces to victory in this spring’s failed plebiscite on TransLink’s funding proposal.
That response is as unsurprising as getting stuck in traffic on the Cut at
5 p.m.
Executive compensation at TransLink was one of the flashpoints that led to the No vote this spring. The misstep of posting pay in the same range as the now-departed leadership is not a promising start to the new era.
But it does highlight one of our biggest problems with transportation: what are we actually willing to pay for?
That’s the question we need to answer before we look at the resumé pile.
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