The mayor of Burnaby is defending his choice to bring a former deputy city manager out of retirement to work as a personal adviser.
Mayor Mike Hurley says he needs Chad Turpin, who worked for the City of Burnaby for 46 years before retiring in January 2018, to advise him on important policy matters.
Turpin was hired on a one-year contract to “support and facilitate the transition for mayor and council arising from the 2018 election” starting Oct. 31, 2018, according to documents obtained by the NOW through a Freedom of Information request.
Turpin was initially hired to work 24 hours per week. That increased to 30 hours per week when his contract was renewed for another year in October 2019.
Hurley said it was his idea to bring Turpin into the mayor’s office.
“I felt it was necessary for me to have someone like him who’s got a big history with the city,” he said.
When Turpin’s current contract expires in November 2020, it probably won’t be renewed, Hurley said.
“His experience is invaluable to me, at least over a short period of time,” Hurley said.
The City of Burnaby redacted Turpin’s hourly consulting rate from the documents it provided to the NOW, citing a section of B.C.’s privacy laws protecting the business interests of third parties.
In 2017, his final full year as deputy city manager, Turpin was the second-highest paid city employee, earning $212,513 (including benefits), according to City of Burnaby financial disclosures.
Asked whether it was financially prudent for the city to contract a former employee who is already collecting a pension, Hurley said he believed it was.
“He’s not costing any more than what an employee would cost to fulfil his role as a consultant,” he said. “That’s why he works three short days a week, to keep those costs down.”
