The Jan. 21 letter which asked, "Does the
mayor need an adviser?" left me with my own questions. Did my
astute colleague forget to do his research?
The position is an excellent three-year
contract for a community relations and policy adviser in the
office of the mayor. In fact, the existing contract is coming
to an end for the person who was hired by Mayor Jim
Gordon.
Was Gordon's job so big that he needed this
high-paid, personal assistant? Was this position a buffer
between council and the mayor? Was there not enough talent on
staff in the municipal bureaucracy to perform theses duties?
Also, is it or not the role of the mayor and the CAO, like any
other corporation, to determine staff infrastructure? Shouldn't
the mayor, have this type of employee reporting to him versus
the CAO?
Historically, during the Tom Davies era,
wasn't there a similar position on staff or perhaps a few
people did this job? What did Bob Keir the multi-talented
public relations and researcher do, really? What about Gloria
Guenette, and Paul Phillion, a past regional clerk turned
public relations and assistant to the chair?
Did Peter Wong and Frank Mazzucca not have
people in similar job? What about the duplication with the then
six area municipalities?
The letter writer is correct that taxpayers
need to question and get informed on expenditures made on our
behalf. However, in this case, I believe the mayor has set an
example by advertising this three-year contract position.
Rachel Proulx
Sudbury