Keywords
council remuneration, councillor salaries, Windsor, Canada
Abstract
This paper analyzes the salaries of municipal councillors in Windsor, Ontario to determine if they are being paid an appropriate salary for the work they perform and the responsibility they hold. There are three methods used to find this result. First, the salaries of Windsor’s councillors are compared to the average salaries of other part-time workers in Ontario. Second, the average amount of time that councillors spend working on a weekly basis, both in meetings and outside of meetings, is determined. Finally, the salaries of Windsor’s councillors are compared to average salaries of boards of directors, as this is a job has a comparable level of responsibility to being a councillor. Ultimately, this paper finds that Windsor’s city councillors deserve a higher salary than they are currently being paid. This finding is important, as the general public often has a negative view of politicians. Learning that Windsor’s councillors are currently doing more work than their compensation rewards them for could allow Windsor residents to regard their municipal politicians in a more positive light. A higher salary could also provide younger residents a greater opportunity to become city councillors in Windsor, which could allow the council to be more representative of the city it serves.
Primary Advisor
Dr. John Sutcliffe
Program Reader
Dr. Lydia Miljan
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Political Science
Document Type
Internship Paper
Convocation Year
2019
Included in
Political Science Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons