Mayor Jyoti Gondek has said that clarity around the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) David Duckworth’s compensation is needed—a notion that he agrees with. 

Ahead of the July 29 Executive Committee meeting, Mayor Gondek addressed a Notice of Motion calling for the CAO’s complete salary, pay band, and compensation changes to be disclosed in plain language.

As the sole employee of Calgary city council, Duckworth’s pay band saw an estimated maximum raise of 36 per cent compared to his 2024 earnings, and was first reported by LWC.

Other senior leaders saw an approximate jump of just 2.5 per cent. 

While nodding that enhanced transparency concerning financial disclosures is needed, Mayor Gondek said that items such as this fall under the administration’s responsibility rather than that of Calgary city council. 

“The job of the administration is to execute on direction that council gives them, and that direction for better policies and practices around HR came last term,” the mayor said.

At Tuesday’s Executive Committee meeting, Gondek has recommended that councillors vote in favour of reversing a motion allowing the CAO’s compensation to remain confidential until it is published in an annual financial report.

“Frankly, it needs to be disclosed right now,” she said. 

“Calgarians deserve the highest standard of transparency from their local government. This work was started last term, and it should have been completed by now.”

She said that last year, the city council directed city administration to improve the detail and access of published compensation information.

Additionally, Gondek said it was included that this be done swiftly after the CAO’s annual performance review, and that upon reminding Duckworth, she said that a conversation concerning the release of salary digits is underway.

“This means that the public would get that information in a timely on an easy to find web page, not buried in a financial report,” said Gondek. 

“CAO Duckworth has assured me that he agrees with that approach, and he’s taking the necessary steps to make needed changes moving forward.”

CAO compensation discussion returns to council

A motion put forth by Ward 1 Councillor Sonya Sharp follows the city’s publishing of its annual compensation report.

Staff salaries, including that of the CAO, are funded Calgarians, and Coun. Sharp noted that request is owed to them. 

“The CAO is a public servant whose salary and compensation are funded by taxpayers,” read the motion. 

“Public confidence and accountability are strengthened when the public is provided with full, clear, and accessible information about the compensation of The City’s top official.”

That motion has asked for detailed salary numbers, along with any changes to compensation be explained in language that can be easily understood.

It comes with the provision that this would not compromise personal privacy or established privacy legislation. 

Mayor Gondek cited the advice of the city’s third-party consultant and said that any explanation about an employee’s salary stagnating, increasing, or decreasing are facts they are legally bound to keep confidential. 

“Typical practice is to release the numbers if you are doing something that’s commonly known as a sunshine list,” she said. 

“To be publicly talking about someone’s performance is not something that instills a lot of confidence, and it’s something that needs to be done confidentially.”