Mayor Watts' former campaign manager accepts $120,000 plum position with the City of Surrey
Last week we learned that former BC Liberal candidate and CHEK tv reporter Robin Adair had been hired to work for Mayor Gregor Robertson as the City's new General Manager of Intergovernmental Relations. The news of his appointment first broke here, then was confirmed yesterday by City Manager Penny Ballem.
Now we have learned that Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts has also hired a new General Manager for Intergovernmental Relations. Lo and behold he is none other than Chris Gardner, Watts' former campaign manager. He also served as a BC Liberal campaign manager in the Surrey-Panorama Ridge riding in 2004. Gardner will start his new position on August 4th and will be paid $120,000 per annum for his services.
The Surrey North Delta Leader broke the story and they caught up with Mayor Watts to get her reaction:
Because of his affiliation in years gone by, we said ‘let’s throw this to an independent head-hunting group and make it a national search. For any position we have, we want the best person. I don’t know if people should be penalized if they’ve been involved (politically). His resume is pretty stellar.
You have to give Watts credit, although she has given her campaign manager a plum position with the city including full benefits, she at least went through the motions of hiring a search firm. In Vancouver, there was no posting for the General Manager position, nor was the public even aware the new position was being created by the City Manager until we broke the news to our readers.
According to the Leader, Gardner (see photo right) worked for the Britco Group as vice-president, strategic planning and corporate development. He also worked for Samsung Electronics, ING Investment Bank and Paion Co. He also serves a director for the BC Ferries Corporation.
Gardner's salary is not out of line for someone with his experience and qualifications. As for the salary of Robin Adair, it is speculated to be in the neighbourhood of between $150,000 to $200,000.
Well, I'd prefer the simple and direct selection of a candidate based on merit and practical politics to a third-party song and dance routine that ends up picking the Mayor's former campaign manager.
And I don't see what's 'public' about using a search firm anyway. I would hope that the Surrey position wasn't posted so no poor sap wasted their time doing an interview.
The difference, Michael, is that Watts actually did a search that was made public. The outcome was the same, but, a search was announced and performed. Whereas Robertson and Ballem simply announce one day that they've hired so-and-so, who starts at City Hall immediately.
See the difference?
Ok, maybe I'm reading this wrong...
"Because of his affiliation in years gone by, we said ‘let’s throw this to an independent head-hunting group and make it a national search."
Maybe it's too early in the morning but isn't Ms. Watts saying that they came up with the idea of hiring Mr. Gardner before going to the head-hunters? In fact, it looks like she's saying that the very idea that hiring Mr. Gardner would look political made them contract a headhunter, at taxpayer expense of course, who somehow ended up coming up with the same hiring decision after a national search.
Ha!
And what does CC say about a right-wing government acting this way.....
"You have to give Watts credit...at least she went through the motions of hiring a search firm"
Ha!