Reported earlier this week by the Abbotsford News former Abbotsford City Manager Frank Pizzuto’s $321,000 severance was covered by Global News tonight.
Abbotsford Ratepayers Association (ARA) president and co-owner of Today Media Group Vince Dimanno was interviewed by the TV station about Pizzuto’s severence and pointed out that, with Pizzuto’s track record of tax increases, water rate increases, the millions contributed to the Abbotsford Heat and the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre (AESC) it was a costly decision for taxpayers to provide him with such an expensive severance package especially when he had resigned.
When told that Mayor Banman had said that such severance packages are part of the cost of doing business when hiring people for, what he termed, “high risk” jobs, Dimanno responded by saying that, in Pizzuto’s case his hiring had turned out to be a high risk to taxpayers.
Pizzuto resigned effective January 4, 2013 after announcing his intention to leave just prior to Christmas.
Councillor Moe Gill was also interviewed and he argued that in future municipal governments should consider avoiding such expensive severance packages.
Among those who have publicly objected to the size of the severance president of the Fraser Valley Regional District Citizens Association (FVRDCA) Walter Neufeld asked, in a Letter to the Editor to Abbotsford Today, “Abbotsford taxpayers are left wondering whether the severance package was performance based? If it not, why not? Alternatively, if it was, what would it have cost us if he done an excellent job?”
Councillor Moe Gill was also interviewed and he argued that in future municipal governments should consider avoiding such expensive severance packages.
Dimanno, who has been a vocal critic of Frank Pizzuto during his shortened tenure at the helm of Abbotsford’s city administration was quoted when Pizzuto’s departure was announced in December as saying that Pizzutto had not lived up to expectations while in the job.
Vince Dimanno
And Banman thinks it’s all “part of doing business”? Where did that come from? Pizutto did nothing but screw up the city with stupid decisions. I wonder if he “left” his former job this way, or was FIRED for doing such a pahtetic job like he did here. He was WAY too overpaid to begin with (much like Mark Taylor who can’t seem to do the job he is paid to do). Mayor and Councillors had better wake up and “smell the coffee” before they find themselves kicked out on their arses.
Banman has learned that “it is part of doing business” at
Abbotsford City Hall.
Employees are given “forced resignation,” which includes
a severence package, which precludes, employee surrendering
ability to release any details, regarding the termination or
“forced resignation” as they so politely call it.
However, it is really about getting rid of a person, who cramps
their style of doing business.
The sad part is that there are many employees, whose names
do not make the media, becuase they are not in a management
position at City Hall, despite being, perhaps, being a senior
staff member and even then as I said, they go under the radar.
Hiring at City Hall is more about “keeping it in the family,
that is “those, you know,” who have the same agenda, in terms
of the direction of growth and development in this city and
are willing to “bend the rules’ to make it happen, in the
interests of a select few.
Politics,at taxpayer’s expense.