In late April, Calgary city council, in a closed-door, confidential meeting, voted to expand the 2025 pay band of the city's Chief Administration Officer (CAO), David Duckworth, by 36% at the top of the band and 48% at the minimum side of the band. In 2024, the pay band of the CAO was between $265,000 and $350,000, increasing greatly in 2025 to between $391,666 and $475,000, as published on the 2025 City of Calgary compensation disclosure document. By comparison the pay band for Calgary’s Chief Operating Officer, Stuart Dalgeish, increased by 2.5% from 2024 to 2025, with the minimum going from $203,500 to $208,500 and the maximum increasing 1.3%, from $343,000 to $351,500. It’s not unusual for financial topics to be discussed in confidential council meetings, and, like members of city council, the CAO is not an employee of the City of Calgary, but an employee of city council. But it’s all taxpayer dollars, says former city councillor and 2021 mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas, who is again a candidate for mayor this year. In a release, Farkas took to task the lack of transparency and accountability at city hall, saying “not how you run a city. This was a major financial decision made in secret with no meaningful public record or justification.” .In an exclusive interview with Western Standard’s Jen Hodgson at the premier’s Stampede breakfast on Monday, Farkas said he disagrees with the increase in the CAO pay band being kept confidential. “To add insult to injury, it was said in complete secret. Right now, it's not very easy to go through the city council meetings and actually see disclosure about things like this,” said Farkas. “So for me, it's not about the individual, but it's some really important questions that we should be asking our city council, such as, why was this done in secret?” “How was the amount justified and what else potentially is being hidden behind closed doors? For me it's very much about the process, but it just seems pretty clear to me that council is looking to sweep this under the rug especially during Stampede time." Hodgson grilled Farkas what he would do as mayor. “I think transparency needs to be the rule at city hall, not the exception. And if this was a public company, executive compensation would have been immediately disclosed,” he said. “So why should information like this, that's really so fundamental, should just be proactively released?” .“So again, this is not about attacking any specific individual. I respect the fact that we have to pay for these executive positions. So those are the questions Calgarians should be asking.” “Why was this done behind closed doors? What justifies the big increase? "And what else could potentially be hidden right now from public view?” “Big decisions, especially involving taxpayer dollars, should happen in the open, with clear oversight and public trust at the centre.” Even though the city is not required to disclose employee compensation, it does publish position titles, salary ranges, and pension and benefit information for union and exempt employees on its compensation disclosure document. Employee names and exact salaries are not included in the compensation disclosures. The City of Calgary began publishing compensation disclosures in 2015.
