It Pays To Be At The Top ...

The highest position at the District of Lantzville is the CAO - Chief Administrative Officer.

Did you know that in 2013, the salary of this position was $126,962.  This included a $5,000 per year vehicle allowance.

Based on 2012 income data reported by Statistics Canada, that puts this salary in the top 5% of wages across the province.

Does this not seem slightly off?

- The median income is $29,970.  This means that the CAO position of Lantzville makes $96,992 more than the average person in BC.

- If both parents are working in a family, and both parents are making the median wage of 29,970, the CAO position of Lantzville makes $67,022 more than this average family.

- According to census data, one out of every five Lantzville residents are over the age of 65.  These are residents who are most likely living on a fixed income. 


Further food for thought.
Since Lantzville incorporated in 2004, the salary of the CAO has had a compound annual growth rate of 5% per year.   This means, on average, that the CAO has received a raise of 5% each and every year since 2004. 

May I ask you how that compares to the salary increases you have been seeing.
Dollars to donuts there is a difference - and not a small one either.

Now it has not been a not been a smooth path upward for the salary increases.  In some years the increases are more modest, in others they are larger.

For example:
In 2006 - 2007, the salary increased by a mere $18,291.
In 2007 - 2008, the salary increased by $11,105.


Please let me know what your thoughts are on this.
Thanks for reading.
john

Empire Building

I wanted to post a copy of an article I wrote for the July/August 2014 edition of the Lantzville Log.

This was what got me started into researching what was going on in Lantzville, and it has only grown from there....

Empire Building At The District

Introduction

Hello,

My name is John Coulson.  

I am 42 years old and currently live in Lantzville with my wife and two young children.

My parents moved to Lantzville in 1977, and while I personally have lived in other towns and cities over my years, I have considered Lantzville home for the past 37 years.  

I have fond memories of growing up in Lantzville.

• I remember going to the Red & White (now known as the Lantzville Market) for penny candy as a special treat. 
• I remember Minetown Day being a big highlight of the year.  I loved the hayride.  Way back when we were allowed to toss a bit of hay off the wagon at cars following behind.  At least I think we were allowed.  Well, I was doing it and didn't seem to catch any trouble.  Sorry Mr Spence if that wasn't the case.  And of course there was the nail hammering contest.  It's great that these events are still going on.
• I remember really enjoying Seaview School.  Mrs Cusson and Mrs Priestly had a big impact on me as a youngster.  And as I grew a bit older, I have fond memories of lunch time music sessions with Mr Lappin.  
• I remember the painful drives down to Harbour Park mall to go shopping with mom at Sears.  There were no other malls.  Lantzville was in the sticks.  There were bumper stickers floating around that said "Where the hell's Lantzville." 
• I remember going to the deli run by Carol for subway sandwiches as a lunchtime treat.  
•  I remember the paper route my sister and I shared up in the "winds" area. The Nanaimo Times.  Delivered 3 times per week.  The pay was per paper and based on the number of flyers.  Tuesdays were always light days.  104 papers at 4 cents each, so we'd end up with a touch over $4 for the day.  Thursday's were the big day for flyers.  Over 8 flyers and we'd be up to 12 cents per paper and making over $12 for the day.   We knew everyone in the area.  There are still folks living there that I delivered papers to as a kid.  Pretty cool. 
• I remember helping my dad when I was 9-ish build the primary climber down at Huddlestone Park.  This apparatus has been gone for years, but in my mind it was the best piece of playground equipment I've ever come across.  Ever.  Even as a 42 year old...

I thought of Lantzville as a community many years ago.  I still think of Lanztville as a community.  I think many of the residents living here think and feel that way too.  I also believe this is what draws many people to our town.  The semi-rural aspect with some isolation from the "city" is a big draw. 

We all have different perspectives about what Lantzville is.  But I think there may be some common ground among many of us that we like Lantzville because it is a community.  A community that is close to Nanaimo, but not in Nanaimo.      

I have developed a growing concern about where our community is heading.  A concern that has grown within me to the point where I fear that we may lose what Lantzville is all about.

I ultimately hope to capture my concerns through presenting posts here on this blog. 

I will make reasonable efforts to present fact based posts, but there will be times when my opinion will be added.  If something is total BS from my perspective, I may just have to chime in with that.

Despite having spent a good portion of my career working with computers, this is my first foray into a blog.  I do not do Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc so while not totally cutting edge, this is a big step forward for me.  There may be some glitches, and the formatting may stink, but I’ll do my best.

Thanks for reading.  

Comments are always welcome.

Only 1 rule, for now.  Civility.