Even though his job is, for now, temporary, Jim Anderson is making full-throated defenses of how his city compensates its employees.

After the Bell scandal, so many are claiming that public employees’ pay is to blame for the budget cuts or services surrendered by the residents. But as Anderson points out, that simply isn’t the case here.

From the Times-Herald:

Interim City Manager Jim Erickson has posted on the city’s website a staunch defense of the wages and benefits paid to city workers as some residents call for more salary cuts.

“In the wake of the city of Bell compensation scandal and the on-going commentary in the media about excessive public employee compensation, the city wants to make sure that the Benicia community has full access to employee compensation policies, practices and actual amounts,” Erickson said.

“The city is committed to transparency and accountability,” added Erickson, who retires next month. 

Read the full article here.