PETERS: Working in local government may pay well, but it sure doesn’t seem like a lot of fun

That nice paycheque starts to look a little less nice when you dread coming in to work every day.

You can’t put a price on quality of life.

At School District 73, we saw another example of how thankless bureaucratic work can be.

A few weeks back, the district’s secretary-treasurer, Trina Cassidy, revealed that a multi-million-dollar accounting error in her department led to a budgetary shortfall of $2.2 million.

That’s public money and so we demand public accountability.

The fact that Cassidy lost her job this week is not necessarily the cruelest part of this equation.

Certainly, if a mistake I am responsible for cost my company millions of dollars, I would expect to wind up on the unemployment line.

But before Cassidy was fired, she was embarrassed in public.

She was made to bear the brunt of a mistake that was so big, it would have necessarily needed to pass before multiple sets of eyes before it became final.

That’s a part of management — the buck stops at your desk — but it also feels somewhat cruel.

Since this situation has played out, CFJC has heard anonymously from several employees of School District 73.

Their impressions of what went on are varied. Some are sympathetic to Cassidy, some less so. Many point to an atmosphere that suggests a lack of faith in administrative leadership.

It’s very clear that the work environment is far from harmonious.

When we ask people to work in settings like this, it’s no surprise that, in return, they ask to be well compensated. If they’re not going to be treated well, they will at least want to be paid well.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by James Peters

PETERS: Working in local government may pay well, but it sure doesn’t seem like a lot of fun

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