On Wasden contract: Contract boggling

I was shocked at the front page article, "Council OKs Wasden's pay" (May 28). In a time when, as a nearly two-decade Stanislaus County employee, I'm taking a 5 percent pay cut via unpaid furloughs, the equivalent of one pay check per year, it boggles my mind that the city the size of Turlock would hire Roy Wasden under a five-year contract at an entry level base salary of $202,296 -- $18,000 more than predecessor, Tim Kerr (Modesto's city manager Greg Nyhoff earns a base of $195,000).

Wasden's package includes a $500 monthly car allowance, $100 month cell/computer allowance and 240 hours (6 weeks) immediate sick/vacation time! Was the starting salary range of $167,256 not appropriate for an ex-Modesto police chief with no city management experience? This makes him one of the highest paid government executives in the county. What is wrong with this? He wasn't even present to face the protests.

As hoards of others suffer with job cuts and salary decreases, this appears to be in no way justified.

DAWN BLACK

Turlock