It is very difficult to take a stand against the published viewpoint of one’s peers. But the recent request by the Morgan Hill Times to push City Hall to release the exact salaries of selected management employees and their assistants under the banner of the public’s right to know troubles me.
I fully understand that in a democracy, freedom of information is not merely a guaranteed right, but it is a necessity for good government. Transparency and openness are vital to establish trust and confidence in our public servants. When government operates in secrecy and above the law (witness the Bush administration), corruption and bad decisions can thrive. I also understand that all public employees are paid by taxpayers and feepayers and, paradoxically, I understand that all public employees are also taxpayers and feepayers. In other words, we are all in good government together.
Freedom of information speaks to a higher ideal for democracy and the role of the press, however, I fear that once exact salaries are released, the next campaign might be to complain that too many of the managers are at the top of their range, or not enough are at the mid-range, or not enough are at the bottom of the range. In short, I fear that a significant amount of attention will be given to a non-issue in pursuit of a problem. I am also concerned that our attention may be drawn away from the real issues we should and could be discussing about our local government.
Here is what I’d rather be talking about in relation to local government, including salaries: Are our salary ranges competitive and keeping pace with our competitors who are also vying for top professionals? What are we doing to recruit and retain valued employees? Are we facing a possible exodus of top performers who will potentially retire at the same time? Do we have a succession plan? Does our management team reflect the ethnic diversity in our community? Are women being nurtured and promoted to management positions? Since the trend in human resources is broad banding, are we hiring people with a broad range of talents and skill?
I’d also like to continue to talk about programs and policies, such as the downtown plan. I’d like to explore the policing challenges our community faces. I’d like to know what our Chief of Police sees as current and future challenges, and I’d like to fully explore what our neighbors believe about public safety. I would like to spark thoughtful conversations related to public safety, particularly if we are asked to provide more public funding.
Having been a management employee for three cities, I can assure you that city employees know that they are public servants, and they also know that the public’s review of their performance will weigh heavily in their professional performance review which, in turn, will help to determine their salary within the range for their position. Management employees know that they will work in a fishbowl environment, and yet, they are, thankfully, eager to serve. It is truly becoming more difficult to attract and retain top performers in the public sector, such as local government and education. Like most employees, once they have been hired, they need to feel valued and respected. The tone of the recent editorial sounds more menacing rather than affirming.
If the California Supreme Court rules that cites must publish exact salaries for all employees, I don’t think it will produce good government or good reporting. Newspapers are struggling for readership and are forced to compete with the wealth of information now available at one’s fingertips. Many of us are seeking information that is relevant, meaningful, and capable of connecting us to others. As long as newspapers appear to create controversy where there is none, people will continue to become disengaged.
Longtime Morgan Hill resident Laura Gonzalez-Escoto is a former Morgan Hill City employee with many years of service in the city government sector. She’s a member of the Morgan Hill Times Editorial Board. Reach her at
la*****@ms*.com
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