City Hires New Assistant For Mayor Shari Green
Thursday, March 15, 2012 @ 4:54 PM
Prince George, B.C. – The City of Prince George has hired a new executive assistant to Mayor Shari Green.
Beverly Smith will take over the position of executive assistant to Mayor Green on April 1st. Ms. Smith will be providing services to Mayor Green and will be "available" to the City Manager.
Mayor Green says the job was not posted as it is an "exempt" position, so posting it publicly is "not required" meaning it is not a union job.
On January 17th the City held a special media conference to announce that as a cost cutting measure the City Of Prince George was eliminating 28 positions. 19 of them had already been vacant and were not being filled. 5 union workers and 4 management workers were given their walking papers on that date.
The City at the media conference said the move would save about 2 million dollars annually.
When asked if hiring an Executive Assistant after cutting posts at City Hall would send a "mixed message", Mayor Green responded "Not in the least. The previous incumbent who spent 5 years in the position can certainly affirm and attest that it is a very demanding position in assisting the Mayor. It is very much required, and I can assure you in the couple of months the position has been temporarily filled, its been a lot of work, certainly with a new Mayor and its very much a required position. If I could do it with less I would, but it can’t be done."
The previous person in the job offered assistance to Mayor and Council and senior administration. The Mayor confirms the new post has a more narrow focus "The position reports to the Mayor, but will also be available to assist with Derek Bates, the City Manager, which he currently doesn’t have an assistant at all, so there’s availabilty there to do some work for him as well. Council in the past traditionally, and certainly in my time on Council, other than arranging for travel or conference work don’t have any real work that they give to the assistants so it’s not so much working with Council, they’re kind of on their own."
As for how much is being paid to Ms. Smith, Mayor Green says it is below the $75 thousand dollar mark at which point public disclosure of the salary is required. "It is less, but it is absolutely appropriately in line with the HR policy is with respect to that position".
Comments
The city should have got Shari a three year plan for an iphone, Siri would be an excellent assissant. Could hand over to the new mayor in 2015.
Green you put in your campaign expense report? Times running out. This is just the start of the patronage appointments.
“When asked if hiring an Executive Assistant after cutting posts at City Hall would send a “mixed message”, Mayor Green responded “Not in the least.” ..
Only in your world, green. I can honestly say I didn’t vote for you and my conscience is clear on that.
Shari how can you look yourself in the mirror? You are in way over your head and that is why you had to hire an assistant. As for your response of..its under 75K so no disclosure on the true cost is nothing but a slimey ooze coming from your mouth.
I see your cost cutting plan includes a 140K buyout and hiring yourself an assistant, FYI that actually costs more money, not sure you understand that yet.
I do appreciate you continually showing why you shouldnt be mayor. You want to know how horrible you are as a mayor?? I am starting to miss Dan Rogers…. nuff said.
$74999.99 ???
For sure, and what perks to make up for keeping the salary below 75K?
Ms. Green is just a figurehead. She must have 4or 5 advisers who she acts for. Why? She certainly doesn’t work for the taxpayers.
Who knew the mayor had an assistant ? Shari probably seen how Cristy Clarke runs away from the media and leaves her press secretary to say “no comment”. Shari could use some help answering questions.That or she plans on a lot of travelling soon.
looks like another one term wonder in the making.
“Mayor Green says the job was not posted as it is an “exempt” position, so posting it publicly is “not required” meaning it is not a union job”
I think most people would agree that if you are running a business selling overpriced widgets, you can do whatever you want. Nobody cares.
When you are the mayor of a city, however, I think it’s generally accepted that you will conduct business on behalf of that city in a transparent manner. Not posting a job “because you don’t have to” (especially when there are probably hundreds of qualified candidates for that job in the immediate area), sort of goes against that whole theme of openness, accountability, etc.
Someone should tell the mayor that leadership often means doing things you don’t “have to” do . . .
An exempt position? I thought only managers had exempt positions? How is the City able to bypass the union this way? I thought there was a hiring freeze at the city? What the heck is going on here?
It’s called paying back your friends for supporting you.
I wonder if the department heads will be allowed to quote the mayor:”if I could do it with less I would, but it can’t be done”.
Miss Flip-Flop rides again.
I agree with NMG with respect to the notion that the reason why the job does not have to be posted relates to it being an exempt postion.
Sure, it does not have to be posted/advertised based on the union screen. However, based on the transparency screen as well as the accessing the best qualified candidate screen and the “it looks like patronage” screen, and the best management practices screen, it ought to have been posted.
Who else at City Hall has the priviledge of not posting/advertising exempt positions?
Remember we got a story a while back about how much Mayor Greeen was saving from the Mayor’s account. I asked that time whether we could get the budget for running the “Mayor’s Office”. Seems we are getting it little by little.
So Councillors have to do their own administrative work now instead of sharing it with the Mayor? Might be fair enough since they got a hefty raise.
Or will we shortly see a new hire to fill that gap left?
Hello everyone this is not a new position. I am not a voter for Shari but realistically how do you expect the mayor to do her job if she has to also do all the more mundane aspects of her job. Also the assistant is available to others. Do any of you have any idea the duties of a personal assistant? They can be the backbone of an efficiently run office. Is that not what all of you want in the end is an efficient city hall? Might be impossible but this goes a long way.
Walk into just about any office in town, what do you see?
I wonder if the assistant will take a drive around town and let Shari know there is a pot hole problem. If the assistant got the mayor’s attention and the roads got fixed the assistant’s salary is money well spent.
Seamutt
I agree with your post above. I would like to know if there was already a Mayor’s assistant for Dan Rogers. If there was how much did it cost to get rid of that one?
It would make sense to keep one that already knows the job.
It is possible that the previous one was too closely tied to Dan Rogers. If there was one .
It is possible that the previous one was too closely tied to Dan Rogers. If there was one .
OOps . No I’m not drinking and always say no to Drugs
So Mayor Green now needs an assistant. She is doing a $350,000 plus core review of City Hall, so she must assume that there are employees at City Hall that do not have enough to do. If that being the case couldn’t the Mayor have given some of the current staff a little extra to do to help with the Mayor’s needs? I mean this is crazy! The Mayor essentially cut road repairs. She laid off 28 people, gave the IPG CEO the boot, all in the name of financial restraint and now hires a high class secretary! Like where is the common sense? Again how did we end up with such an inept Mayor?
Reallly!!! The first time in the history of PG where the Mayor has her very own Executive Assistant. Do more with less she tells everyone, but the status quo where the executive secretary on the 5th floor supports the Mayor, Council and all senior administration is not good enough for her. For her it is do less for more, and hire your nieghbor!! The Green is bringing out the RED.
I wonder if the Executive Assistant, will have a Junior Assistant…and perhaps they, someone even junior to themselves to the point where she has an executive junior, junior junior ass wiper….hmmm…just a thought.
Backhouse did the job part time and was paid as a part time mayor… the city at the time had more people and more industry and more future growth to ‘consider’ than Sherri has today.
This is about financing friends… ditto for IPG, and soon ditto for the core review outcome.
Do one-term mayors get a golden handshake?
A FIRST IN RECENT KNOWLEDGE OF AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT FOR THE MAYOR, ROGERS AND KINSLEY NEVER EMPLOYED ONE. I GUESS THE JOB IS BIGGER THAN GREEN EXPECTED, MORE TO BEING MAYOR THAN WELCOMING PEOPLE AND TRYING TO FLOG THEM A SCENTED CANDLE?
A FIRST IN RECENT KNOWLEDGE OF AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT FOR THE MAYOR, ROGERS AND KINSLEY NEVER EMPLOYED ONE. I GUESS THE JOB IS BIGGER THAN GREEN EXPECTED, MORE TO BEING MAYOR THAN WELCOMING PEOPLE AND TRYING TO FLOG THEM A SCENTED CANDLE?
AND THE RAISE IS JUSTIFIED HOW??
I can see the trend in the quality of our mayors in this town mimicking how our city is heading to the bottom of the crapper.After John Backhouse they have been in steady decline.I just hope we have hit bottom with Shari Green and an intervention takes place before the next election.Then maybe we can begin our road to recovery.
are you people serious? Stop the presses, the mayer picked her own assistant…It wasn’t posted???? find a life people.
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