Pensioners
John Nuraney, misidentified as Buraney (possibly a fusion of Burnaby and Nuraney), is among four BC Liberal MLAs seeking to opt in to the government's new pension plan.
Politicians often get attacked for improving their compensation. In the case of MLAs Claude Richmond, Ralph Sultan, Dan Jarvis and John Nuraney, they made significant sacrifice to enter the public realm. For the amount of time put in MLAs in general are undercompensated for the work they produce. There may be exceptions but most MLAs could easily make more, work fewer hours, travel less and spend more time with family.
These older MLAs deserve the same pension benefits as their younger counterparts.
Politicians often get attacked for improving their compensation. In the case of MLAs Claude Richmond, Ralph Sultan, Dan Jarvis and John Nuraney, they made significant sacrifice to enter the public realm. For the amount of time put in MLAs in general are undercompensated for the work they produce. There may be exceptions but most MLAs could easily make more, work fewer hours, travel less and spend more time with family.
These older MLAs deserve the same pension benefits as their younger counterparts.
posted by Robert Burnaby at 12:07 AM
11 Comments:
Is it enough? When Singapore decided to make their officials instant multi-millionaires, that is the same rationale they have decided to use. One has to question why some have decided to come into politics in the first place. In some areas of America many of their State Senators actually have day time jobs since these politicians only work part time, some State senates are in fact jobs without pay.
This is the scheme I propose.
If you get elected for your four-year term, they should be awarded a bloc sum of half a million dollars. If they can get elected the second time, they can get another 100,000 bonus. Or maybe they should just have a poll so whoever gets elected to Victoria can draw for a prize of 40 million dollars.
Money and politics. New pension plan, pay raises. What is the point exactly? I certainly hope these politicians are not voting in Victoria just so they can feed their families.
Actually John did not need to make a huge "sacrifice" to enter politics as he has been very comfy even in his first attempt in 1996
with his A & Ws in Langley and elsewhere.
A few get into being an MLA because they want to give something back. John is one of these.
There's no need for huge compensation since technically all the MLA is compensated for is representing the constituents in the Legislature, nothing more. The balance that you see (committee work and being in the MLA's office) can also be said to be included in that sum.
But the event attendance is not technically part of the MLA's job. That is more political, and certainly the MLA's time attending party functions is not what the public pays for.
People who want to be an MLA certainly know what being an MLA is in terms of compensation (it is easily found), and the hours (they can be told that by the Constituency Association candidate search committee or the party or even go to an incumbent MLA in the party of choice to find out.
If the person who wants to be an MLA wants to do so because of money, I'd say go elsewhere. You're no good to the people as a representative.
It's not all kissing babies and attending Premier's Dinners. It all about representing the citizens.
"It's not all kissing babies and attending Premier's Dinners. It all about representing the citizens."
As the Bard would say, "Ahh, but there's the rub". Has John done a good job at representing everybody? There are lots of folks who feel he has not done much of anything over the past 8 years. Isn't that why his seat is now in play?
His seat (as is those held by Richard Lee Harry Bloy and Raj Chouhan) are always in play.
No seat 'belongs' to an MLA. They belong to the citizen voters.
John hasn't done as much as he could for the riding. There are other MLA's who have done a much better task in actually doing something to earn their taxpayer funded salary.
There's an easy way to fix this. Any pay increase approved by any governing body should not be effective until the next election.
I agree with The Project.
Also - I have no problem with MLAs collecting a pension or being paid adequately.
But I wonder why would Nuraney opt in?
He IS a successful businesman, and should not NEED money from the taxpayers.
What else is happening in Nuraney's financial world?
Nuraney doesn't need to opt in.
The restaurants are doing fine serving Papaburgers onion rings and root beer.
Talk about picky. The guy(John N)is in his seventies already. Just how much is he going to get from a pension when he retires or is defeated? If he dies with his boots on and in the saddle (ie elected office) does he get any pension at all?
He will deserve whatever he gets. I doubt if it will be very much.
John wants his turn at the vacuum.
If what ever it is that he gets it wouldn't be much compared to the tidy sum he already has from him being a restauranteur, comprising of the delivering of exquisite fine cuisine.
Correct. Our resident blogger is too innocent to believe in the myth of "fair compensation". I personally believe legislators in public service should compensated with an hourly rate of $10 and the honor to serve its constituents. I do not like to see this sort of grab for money in court like how the hounds are going after meat.
At election time, it's the opposition that goes after the governement like a hungry pit bull going after a piece of raw meat.
I wouldn't say $10.00 an hour, but
I would say something at mid level
management ($40k to $60k) + travel coverage to and from Victoria when the Leg is sitting. If one stripped away the time spent on those "compulsory" event attendence times, the actual real time spent as an MLA can be set to
45 hours a week, easily.
To often the MLAs and the political hacks figure political events as part of the job.
and while we're at it, why not trim back the excessive amounts of money paid out to political hacks to run campaigns. Not long ago it was all volunteer, no renumeration except for gas and bus (if applicable).
$1000 paid out to a sign chair for a civic campaign is over the top.
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