Saint Johners have been hearing much lately about the so-called “Sunshine List”, which will see the names and salary ranges of city employees making more than $60,000 a year made publicly available.
After a vote at the most recent meeting of the Police Commission, it turns out the names of sworn and civilian members of the force won’t be published after all.
Members of the commission argued it would put officers at unnecessary risk to have their names in the public eye: some members even talked about having to change their phone numbers to protect their privacy. Mayor Mel Norton tells us it’s about offering the “greatest level of transparency” permitted under provincial law, but didn’t specifics on what public interest publishing the names rather than simply official titles would serve.
Common Councillor John Mackenzie, who recently replaced Common Councillor Greg Norton on the commission, said the names aren’t as important as taxpayers knowing how their dollars are being spent.
