Sierra Madre City Manager Gabe Engeland Is Up For A Pay Raise Tuesday

What is rather amazing about this matter is not the money. It really isn't all that much in the grand scheme of things. Merit raises can be a good thing. But instead it is what the document below reveals about the current thinking of the City Council. As you can see, the considerations are all financial, and nothing else. It is indicative of a very narrow approach to governing.

As you know, Sierra Madre, like many cities in California, faces unquestionable financial pressures due to its heavy debt load. Here it is both CalPERS and bond debt which, if not properly handled, could conceivably threaten the continued happy existence of the town. Apparently Gabe England's prime mission has been to bring all of that under control. Which, over the course of the last year, he has done much to accomplish. For this the City Council is grateful and wants to reward him.

Nothing is wrong with that. Gabe is doing what he was told to do. But could this be the only thing the City Council cares about? There is nothing in this document about efforts to control predatory development, preservation efforts, or any of the other things that concern so many in town. It's just about the money.

With One Carter coming on line, and otherLULU projects waiting in the balance, you have to wonder just how all consuming the financial situation is for Sierra Madre's City Council. Is it really just about the money for them? And nothing but that matters? To the point where everything else needs to be put up for sale and sacrificed?