Bob Mackin
On the campaign trail in 2016, Donald Trump promised he would donate his salary to charity if he made it to the White House.
The billionaire became U.S. president and has donated his salary. Agencies like the National Park Service and Education Department have benefitted from his $100,000 quarterly cheques, although they are not really charities.
Bremner made a Trump-like promise on the campaign trail. Did he follow through?
During his campaign for last October’s Vancouver city council by-election, Non-Partisan Association newcomer Hector Bremner vowed to do the same as Trump. Albeit, on a very modest scale.
Bremner already had a day job that evidently paid well, as vice-president at the Pace Group lobbying and public relations firm. (He may now regret the decision to wear two hats, after the NPA rejected his application for the mayoral nomination in the wake of conflict of interest complaints to city hall.)
During the campaign, Mike Howell of the Vancouver Courier quoted Bremner saying that he would donate his councillor salary to “whatever worthy cause.”
After he won the Oct. 14, 2017 by-election, Bremner appeared to take a step back from the noble campaign promise. “We’re still trying to figure this all out, but I do plan on trying to make as much of a contribution as possible,” he told Howell.
Bremner’s gross pay is $6,800 a month. City hall spokesman Jag Sandhu told theBreaker that Bremner’s net pay so far is $36,262.
theBreaker called and emailed Bremner this week to find out whether he had donated any of his councillor salary to a worthy cause or whether he returned any of it to the civic treasury.
Bremner did not respond.
In fact, Bremner has not responded to numerous requests for comment from theBreaker since he hung up the phone during an interview before by-election weekend.
The uncomfortable line of questioning that triggered Bremner?
His lobbying and his job at the Pace Group.
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