CALL ME LOYAL

Remember Councillor Gail Sheriff? She was the Christchurch City councillor who took a ten week holiday in Bali last year - on full pay - and claimed she kept up with her council work by checking her email twice a day.

Sheriff abdicated her responsibilities but as she is one of his loyal supporters, Sideshow Bob didn't think that the lazy Sheriff's extended Bali holiday was of any concern at all.

And then there was Councillor Barry Corbett. He told a council meeting that he would of 'let off' the killer of a young Auckland teenager whose only crime was that he had tagged a fence.

But because he's another one of his loyal supporters, the loathsome Corbett was defended by Sideshow Bob who claimed that Corbett 'regretted' making the comments. To this day, Corbett has never publicly apologised for them.

And then, of course, there's failed property developer Dave Henderson. Despite the fact that Hendo was up to his neck in debt, Sideshow Bob thought it would just great to give another of his supporters $17 million for five over-priced buildings. Even local MP Gerry Brownlee was staggered by the bailout. He wanted to know why the Christchurch City Council had suddenly become the personal bank of Henderson.

So are we surprised that another one of Sideshow's loyal minions has been given a massive $80,000 salary increase?

The council's annual report reveals that CEO Tony Marryatt's total pay and benefits for the 12 months to June 30 was $452,945, compared with $370,825 for the previous year.

This disgraceful increase for Marryatt should be considered against official data that shows that real wages in New Zealand declined approximately 25% between 1982 and the mid 90s and have never recovered. Wages still lie 25 percent below their peak in 1982 - while costs have continued to rise.

While the rest of us are trying to make do on less, CEO's like Tony Marryatt are laughing all the way to the bank.

Council of Social Services executive officer Sharon Torstonson got it right when she commented today that Marryatt's salary increase was unacceptable.

'A pay increase of that magnitude at a time when there is a backlash against executive pay rises and cuts in community grants that look after the wellbeing of our city is kind of sad. Many citizens are struggling through the recession, ' she said.

Sideshow Bob has laughably claimed that the big increase was justified because of Marryatt's 'excellent' performance.

Oh really?

Is this the same Tony Marryatt who played a significant role wasting $17 million of ratepayers money on five over-valued properties from the dismal Dave Henderson?

This is also the same Tony Marryatt who backed Sideshow Bob trying to put council rents up by a massive 24 percent.-

Sideshow Bob though got reprimanded by the High Court who ruled that the council had acted illegally - and cancelled the increase.

Earlier Marryatt had informed us that the 'council's legal team was confident that the correct processes had been followed.'

These are not the actions of a talented executive - as Sideshow Bob claims - but they are the actions of a CEO who is generally regarded as Bob's loyal lieutenant.

What price loyalty? In Marryatt's case, its another $80,000.