In the same way that taxpayers in the City of Prince George never found out what it cost to replace Derek Bates as city manager in 2012, the true expense of removing Beth James from the same job will also never be fully known.
The news media and individual citizens can fill out as many Freedom of Information requests as they like, personal privacy trumps the "rights" of the public on personnel matters in the public sector.
We do know that James's annual salary was $212,000 and we do know her contract included severance pay of six months salary, plus one month for every year of service, up to 18 months. That adds up to about $140,000 as of now.
The final cost, however, will be much higher because the numbers in her contract are the starting point in the negotiation over what her total severance will be. James's lawyer has many ways to force the City of Prince George to sweeten the pot for his or her client.
There is likely no similar job position at a similar rate of pay in Prince George for James, in either the private or public sector, meaning she will be required to move to continue her career. Factor in other personal but still relevant circumstances, such if she will lose money selling her home, what does this mean for her spouse and other family and so on.
This is the first time in her career that James was a city manager, after holding various senior positions in the corporate sector and in provincial government. Along with the personal hardship, her lawyer will argue that the City of Prince George has harmed her professional reputation by removing her less than two years on the job and has affected her prospects for future employment in similar jobs not only in B.C. but across Canada. There is legal precedent and complicated equations on the books for the cost to settle all of these claims.
Whether James has letters of commendation for excellent work or letters of warning and discipline in her personnel file, whether she was alerted to problems with her work, whether she was given ample opportunity to fix those problems when they were brought to her attention and whether the employer plans to fill the position or leave it empty will also be contributing factors.
Add that extra payment and then add on the hiring of a recruitment firm to do another national search for a new city manager and the cost for the City of Prince George to fully sever ties with James could easily top $250,000.
Mayor Lyn Hall and five city councillors - Frank Everitt, Garth Frizzell, Albert Koehler, Murry Krause and Brian Skakun - all supported hiring James two years ago and clearly they now feel the cost to immediately replace James justifies the substantial expense.
Ironically, all six might be quite happy with the job James did during her tenure. James negotiated the stingiest contract municipal workers have ever seen with numbers noticeably less than what was on the table in other B.C. municipalities. James thinned the herd at the senior management level and within the general staff. She also salvaged what little value there was in the core services review. This city council will benefit politically from the tough decisions James made and the extra dollars they have to spend will come from the savings she generated.
Style appears to be the deciding factor here. James established herself from the get-go as a no-nonsense, get things done administrator with no tolerance for mediocrity, excuses and debate once she had made a decision. The new mayor and council want their administrator to be benevolent, not uncompromising, and fair, not ruthless. It also appears they want a less autonomous manager, one that includes them on administrative decisions, not just the political ones.
Hall and council have shown some leadership mettle by deciding quickly to go in another direction and acting on that decision. They will now have to demonstrate that the cost was worth it and that James's replacement provides more value than just someone with a better bedside manner.
