City of Vancouver paid more than $1.6 million to 33 people in its communications department in 2013, according to city hall pay records released via Freedom of Information to CityHallWatch and provided to Business in Vancouver.
Almost two-dozen employees received less than $75,000, for a total of $798,407.34. Ten communications directors earned $75,000 or more. That list, totalling $845,504.32 was topped by Tracy Vaughan ($97,415.98) and Mairi Welman, who quit in summer 2013 to join District of North Vancouver ($131,354.37).
The city releases its list of personnel paid $75,000 and up within its statement of financial information. It does not publish the list of those who earn less than $75,000, a list that includes political appointees in the Office of the Mayor. It took nearly nine months, including a complaint to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, for CityHallWatch to receive the information.
Kevin Quinlan, the mayor’s top policy and communications aide, was paid $66,305.92 in 2012 plus $3,148.19 in expenses. He got a raise in 2013 to $72,655.86 plus $6,324.65 expenses.
Joining the Mayor’s office as a media staffer in spring 2012 was Braeden Caley, who was paid $44,111.17 that year. Caley received $68,445.50 salary and $1,149.01 expenses for the full year in 2013.
Mayor Gregor Robertson’s now-retired executive secretary, Alison Abu-Arisheh, was paid $69,784.73 and his director of community relations, Lara Honrado, was paid $68,460.45 last year.
Also released was the list of 19 people who received more than $1.5 million in severance payments in 2012 and 2013.
Ex-planning director Brent Toderian was terminated in late January 2012 and received $211,828. Toderian’s severance was the biggest among the 19 people listed. He was hired six years earlier under the administration of NPA Mayor Sam Sullivan and was paid $201,300 in 2011.
Other notables on the severance list include Laurie Best, director of the web renewal program ($71,464.82) and director of emergency management Kevin Wallinger ($42,648). In 2011, Best was paid $129,860 and Wallinger $152,089.
The biggest severance in 2013 was $108,215.68 for human resources consultant Suzanne Booker.
Meanwhile, a B.C. Public Sector Compensation Review by Ernst and Young for the provincial government found City of Vancouver had the highest-paying strategic leadership category of those for which data was available.
In 2013, city manager Penny Ballem was paid $339,219, solicitor Francie Connell $301,117 and chief financial officer Patrice Impey $271,708.
By comparison, John Dyble, head of the public service, was the B.C. government’s highest-paid deputy minister at $308,115 for the year-ended March 31, 2014. Deputy minister of health is a position Ballem held until she quit in 2006. Last year, Stephen Brown was paid $259,603.
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