The newly-elected TransLink Board is off to a rousing start.
Last month the board decided to close all its meetings to the public and the media. The previous board met in public. Now this week, the board has voted to give themselves a huge pay increase. TransLink board chair Dale Parker now gets a flat fee of $100,000 for his services and each director on the board receives an annual fee of $25,000. The eight board members also get $1,200 per meeting - whether they attend or not. Too busy? No problem, you can attend by phone or videoconferencing and still get your $1,200. In sharp contrast, the previous board, made up of mayors and councillors from Metro Vancouver, received $200 per meeting, and the chair was paid $40,000 annually.
Last year the provincial government restructured the board, doing away with the politicians and replacing them with business professionals and people in the private sector. At the time, the province said the move was made because government felt the board would be more accountable and in the public's eyes would eliminate the perception that politicians were making decisions only in the best interests of their own communities, not thinking about transit on a more global level.Wonder what the province thinks about their decision now?
We're all for a pay increase, but a modest one. How can this board justify this increase? It's ludicrous. And do you know who is going to pay for these increases - transit users - the paying public. Transit fees are on the rise and will be rising even higher now.
At least here on the Coast we have a system and a board structure that has some accountability and sense.
This week we learned of a couple of positive transit initiatives. New bus shelters and pull-outs are on the horizon along Highway 101 and our buses are switching over to bio-diesel fuel that will make them more environmentally sound and cost effective.
Doing things cost effectively and doing things to make the transit system better - that's what the mandate of the TransLink board should be. Instead of closing meetings and padding their pocket books, maybe they should follow the lead of other transit systems like ours here on the Coast and be more accountable to the public they serve.
