Newmarket Mayor Van Bynen earned close to $200K in 2015

Yorkregion.com
April 1, 2016
By Chris Simon

Not surprisingly, Mayor Tony Van Bynen is the most highly paid elected municipal official in Newmarket by a significant amount, according to documents released by the town a few days ago.

The information report, titled Statement of Remuneration and Expenses - 2015 Payments to Elected and Appointed Officials, gives a picture of exactly how much the municipality handed its council members last year. In total, the nine council members received $656,475.79 in remuneration, benefits, car allowances, life insurance coverage and cellular phone subsidies from the town.

At the top of the list, Van Bynen received $120,047.36 in related compensation from the town. However, he was also paid $56,132.64 in remuneration and $9,290.75 in benefits from York Region and $9,804 for sitting on the Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution board. When all payments are added up, he had a total income of $195,274.75 in 2015.

A few other regional mayors also have their 2015 financial information posted on their municipality's website. Based on those numbers, along with a remuneration report from the region, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti pulled in $238,884, Aurora Mayor Geoff Dawe earned $156,568 and East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson received $145,041 - though none of those totals include compensation for sitting on boards, so their total remuneration figures may be higher.

"They're very different municipalities," Van Bynen said Thursday afternoon. "I can't speak to how Frank's salary has been established.”

In 2014, Van Bynen was the fourth highest paid mayor in the region - well behind Scarpitti, Richmond Hill's Dave Barrow and Vaughan's Maurizio Bevilacqua.

“That reflects the size of those communities and the responsibilities those individuals have," Van Bynen said.

Regional Councillor John Taylor was the second highest paid in the Newmarket report. He received $74,881.50 in compensation from the town, as well as $56,132 in remuneration and $9,221.11 in benefits from the region - a total of $140,235.25.

Ward councillors Tom Hempen and Tom Vegh earned $67,458.86, respectively, Christina Bisanz was a cent behind them at $67,458.85, and Joe Sponga and Jane Twinney brought in $66,068.06. Councillor Kelly Broome-Plumley received $66,068.05, and Dave Kerwin collected $60,966.19.

Ward councillors do not receive compensation from the region.

"This information has been published, in many areas, for years," Van Bynen said. "The salary for the mayor's office has been established through a market-wide review dating back to 2007. The salary established for all of our council was established at sixty-six and two-thirds per cent of the average for the 10 comparators. Since that time, the base salary has only changed to the extent of the cost-of-living. The salary policy is fair and equitable. I think Newmarket is appropriately placed."

Newmarket council members also received a total of $42,575.35 in discretionary expense account reimbursement - though those items are supposed to cover the costs the politicians incurred as official representatives of the municipality. For example, Newmarket's politicians were reimbursed for attending training sessions and conferences, purchasing advertisements and mail outs and buying equipment for a community ice rink in 2015.