So, Christchurch City Council CEO Tony Maryatt is gone, with a $500,000 golden handshake. But while I expect everyone is glad to see the back of him, the latter is simply repulsive. This is a man who spectacularly failed to do the job he was paid for, with significant consequences for the people of Christchurch. He should be paying them.
So what's the excuse? The earthquake, naturally:
The report was of the view that in normal times a chief executive would have been expected to be aware of the issues relating to accreditation, but found that Marryatt was not aware of this situation until shortly before he informed the council.
The report stated: "The Chief Executive has been very focused on pursuing specific Council objectives, including the signature projects and cost sharing agreement with Government. Christchurch City Council is not in a business as usual situation."
Which is a cop-out. It was his job to pay attention,. That's why he was paid the big bucks. If he couldn't cope with micromanaging everything, then it was also his job to hire people he could delegate those tasks to. This whole "too much pressure" excuse is an artefact of Maryatt's toxic, controlling management style. The council has betrayed the people of Christchurch by letting him get away with this rort. They should have sacked him for cause, and let him sue.
Meanwhile, the lesson for the next council is clear: don't overpay your CEO. Especially since they're now no longer expected to do the job they're paid for.
