We should all demand fiscal responsibility at all ...

2012-01-26T06:53:29.359-08:00

We should all demand fiscal responsibility at all levels of government, fee offices and not. It is the people's money. However, I do hope that we balance our passion for fiscal responsibility with passion for attracting and retaining good talent. This point probably applies more to salaried and hourly civil servants versus elected, but the same principle should hold true for elected officials - if voters vote responsibly.

In many cases, you get what you pay for. As we challenge our city and county leadership to act fiscally responsible, we must be cognizant of the salary and benefits gap between the public and private sectors. If you let the gap grow too much, talented business leaders will always choose the private sector job. At the same time, the public sector jobs offer value that the private sector doesn't - stability, more defined retirement benefits (in some cases), and often times, more reasonable work/life balance. If you let the gap narrow, then you also risk attracting talent that "wants to collect a check." Again, a very thin line, but I'm hesitant to push for the absolute lowest salaries and bonuses in all instances, because I ultimately want smart, visionary leaders that are constantly improving the way our government operates. Remember, be leary of the potential employee or candidate that can't get a job anywhere else. There might be a reason for it.

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We should all demand fiscal responsibility at all ...