BY ALANE CALLANDER
FOR THE STAFFORD COUNTY SUN
Published: May 1, 2008

There’s a movement afoot to discredit members of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors who voted to raise their salaries last year and who aren’t willing to eliminate that pay increase in this tough budget year. The elected officials have been accused of looking out for themselves at a time when, with an economic downturn, everybody is taking a hit with severe budget cuts.

Certainly this is not a year to raise one’s own salary, and the supervisors were wise to forgo the scheduled 3 percent raise that was to go into effect in
FY 2009. That sounds reasonable to me, and I’ll tell you why I think so.

Our members on the board of supervisors deserve every penny the taxpayers pay them. They put in at minimum part-time hours and some spend well over full-time hours each week being conscientious.

From 2000 to 2007 the salary level was untouched, so there was a lot of catching up to do when the supervisor salaries were raised last year to $25,000. The chairman gets an extra $900.

The county administrator recommended that they get $30,000, so it’s not that they were being totally self-centered when they set the $25,000 amount. Again, the supervisors deserve every penny, though I’m not saying that I agree with everything they do.

I first became familiar with the work of the supervisors years ago when I was a county employee. I watched the supervisors take hits from angry citizens complaining about everything from an unfilled pothole to a planned regional airport to infringement on citizens’ property rights.

Many times the supervisors weren’t personally responsible for the problem before them, but they would usually patiently listen to all of the varying opinions expressed by citizens at public meetings. I also observed the supervisors trying to make informed decisions and wrestling with votes that could easily go either way.

Supervisors perform many ceremonial functions, such as attending business grand openings or funerals for constituents or community leaders. They attend innumerable meetings of agencies, associations, boards and commissions and subcommittees on special topics. Sometimes they host town-hall meetings, which require much preparation time and where they are bombarded with questions and complaints.

They spend many hours taking calls or writing notes to constituents, as well as doing casework trying to help residents deal with the government bureaucracy, a personal crisis, or such matters as rezonings or pollution of their land by run-off from a neighboring development.

Sometimes supervisors let their tempers get the better of them, or they say something totally tactless, or they make a really dumb decision, but it is rare for me to think they aren’t trying hard to serve the community.

Though all elected officials, from time to time, get a bloated sense of self- importance, they really are in it because they care about public service. They miss vacations and ignore their personal needs. Often their income takes a hit, as well, because they get so involved in their low-wage job that they neglect more lucrative work.

I disagree with the expectation from one member of the board that all supervisors should work other jobs in addition to their county job. We need a cross-section of people serving our community as supervisor, not just commuting federal workers or defense industry contractors.

The supervisor position is good for retired persons still in good health and wanting to use their skills to serve the community. It’s also good for persons who work unconventional jobs with flexible hours. A recent two-term supervisor was a professional musician who brought a welcomed fresh perspective to problem solving.

We need people from all walks of life and all income levels representing us, reflecting the community that they govern.
All that I’ve said about members of the board of supervisors also applies to our paid planning commissioners and school board members.

The next time you get irritated with a member of the county board, think of the sacrifices they make. Would you be willing to give up your free time and subject yourself to irate phone callers and bureaucratic frustrations, resulting in heart palpitations and sleepless nights, all for the sake of serving your community?

Alane Callander is a south Stafford resident active in many local causes. Reach her at .