CA Salary badness?

So today, it's a morning and an afternoon edition of the 53!  Just like back in the day with the Morning and Evening Sun, as well as the morning and evening News-American.  Ahhh, the Baltimore News-American....

Anyway, da Patch brings us this article about the Alliance for a Better Columbia having their way, and CA preparing a list of ALL of its' employees' salaries, which will be made public, by the end of this month.

OK, it looks like that after several years and more than a little wrangling and hand-wringing, that this is going to happen.  But what's the point?

I get that homeowners associations, by State law, are supposed to publish all their employees' salaries.  But I'm trying to get around how that information will help me as a Columbian?  I mean, OK-- I know what Phil Nelson makes because he's the freaking CA President.  But do I need to know what the attendant at Supreme Sports Club makes?

I am for openness, but also, I am suspicious when I see/hear the name of the Alliance for a Better Columbia mentioned anywhere.  Simply, because the Alliance for a Better Columbia isn't.  Never in my experience.

So, make me feel good about this, people.  Or validate my skepticism.  You choose.  Comment away!

Comments

[b.santos]

I agree with you.

[Leslie from Columbia]

ABC has been Always Bitchin' and Complaining for over 20 years. It is just a club for the whiners who are never happy about anything. I don't understand why anybody pays any attention to anything they ever say. And yet, the CA Board continues to treat them as is they actually represent more than three people.

[Brad]

I think it's less a matter of something they hope to discover than the idea of compliance, openness, and accountability. No, it's not necessary to know what the SSC attendant makes, but the same goes for the janitor at the elementary school, math teacher at the high school, animal control worker, county councilman, but it's public information. Do we really need to know what each of any US congressman's staffers makes in order to move forward with life? No, but the taxpayer has that right as a method of holding his elected officials accountable. While CPRA isn't a tax (it's a fee), and CA and other HOAs aren't actual government, the HOA Act is designed to ensure that the constituency can examine the books. There are certain levels and areas of government that are not not subject to such public disclosure, for obvious reasons (police investigation, national security, etc.), but those aren't applicabe in the case of CA. The CA almost certainly operates in good faith, but what harm is there in providing this means of accountability and transparency?

Truth be told, I'd not heard of ABC before this issue, but I can't see any reason their request shouldn't have been granted, nor why one would condone the CA's long-standing non-compliance with federal law on this issue. Yes, it means th CA needs to publish their employees' compensation, but that's really no different from what the government must do, and the CA is a HOA that functions as a sort of de facto government.

[Chris]

I want a full disclosure of who the members of Alliance for Bitter Columbians are and what each of their jobs and compensation is.

[converse all star]

kial oni condone la CA la longa-staranta ne-plenumo kun federala leĝo pri tiu demando. Jes, ĝi signifas th CA bezonas eldoni liaj oficistoj 'kompenson, sed tio estas vere neniu alia ol kion la registaro devas fari, kaj la CA estas Hoa ke ĝi funkcias kiel speco de facto registaro.

[Tim]

It comes down to a matter of public information. It's not important to discover what every person at the CA makes. But it is important to be able to. Otherwise you may have something like what happened in the city of Bell - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Bell_scandal. Not that this is happening at CA, but if you take away a measure of public accountability - i.e transparency in salaries - then the possibility for malfeasance is created.

[Adidas Original Shoes]

Thanks for this article. I certainly agree with that which you are declaring.