Salaries and benefits paid to public officials have always been hot-button issues.
Publishing the numbers can create easy targets for those who criticize government spending without regard …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you had an active account on our previous website, then you have an account here. Simply reset your password to regain access to your account.
If you did not have an account on our previous website, but are a current print subscriber, click here to set up your website account.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
* Having trouble? Call our circulation department at 360-385-2900, or email our support.
Please log in to continue |
|
Salaries and benefits paid to public officials have always been hot-button issues.
Publishing the numbers can create easy targets for those who criticize government spending without regard to the outcome of the expense.
Two articles in the April 23 edition of the Leader listed detailed accounts of PT City Manager John Mauro’s salary, benefits and expenses.
But the reporters for these stories provided no context for understanding the numbers.
I’m not defending Mauro’s income or the costs related to his employment, but I think that a responsible journalist, directed by a responsible editor, would want to ask the questions necessary to put those numbers in perspective.
If I hire a repair person for a hundred dollars and their work saves me a thousand, I think that’s a smart investment. Reverse those numbers, and I’ve got a problem.
So far in this controversy, no one seems to have asked for or received answers to the question of Mauro’s value to the city.
Are we getting our money’s worth or not? Without answering that, the numbers we’ve seen so far are meaningless.
Matthew Miner
Port Townsend
