New Executive Director Of The Escambia Children’s Trust Asks For A Pay Increase
January 4, 2024
The new executive director of the Escambia County Children’s Trust is getting a raise before her first day on the job.
Lindsey Cannon asked that her salary be increased by $5,000 to $125,0000 a year plus benefits.
Cannon and Walker Wilson were named the two finalists for the position. Cannon is currently the executive director for the Children’s Home Society of Florida for the western and Emerald Coast region. Wilson is the executive director of the Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board.
The taxpayer-funded salary was advertised at $120,000 a year plus benefits.
The ECT board is set to vote on the raise at their next meeting on January 10.
The first executive director of the taxpayer funded ECT, Tammy Greer, resigned unexpectedly back in August.
Comments
33 Responses to “New Executive Director Of The Escambia Children’s Trust Asks For A Pay Increase”
Sorry you haven’t even started this job & asking for a raise?? Work for it then maybe a vote? Someone once said “If you have to ask for a raise you probably Don’t deserve one!”
Once these government boondoggles get entrenched they’re very hard to end. If you criticize the money train they’ll smear you as hating kids and racist. Most likely they’ll get more taxpayer money next round and frame it as an ‘investment’ in our future lol.
I recently retired from ECPS with 42.5 years of service. I advocated for kids every single day. My salary was a little more than HALF what this position already pays. I don’t get it.
CJ, I’ve asked you this before on Rick’s Blog when you’ve brought up voting it gone. Can you *please* cite from state statute how we could get it back on the ballot before the 12-year mark, or whatever that statutorially defined allotment of time is that we have to wait it out if the ability to rescind it earlier wasn’t part of the ballot language.
This isn’t a passive aggressive way of saying “there isn’t any way.” I’d LOVE to know there is a way. Trust me, I’d be right there with you leading the charge to do away with this horrendous boondoggle.
The people who are actually falling for the argument that she is simply negotiating her salary clearly have less than zero idea about how a professional hiring process works. And no, people aren’t critical of it because she’s a woman. It’s because she is completely out of line, but some key Board members are gonna support her on it to thumb their noses at the critics and show them who’s boss. It probably wasn’t even her idea to go for the pay raise, 10 to 1. However gladly happy she went along with a fresh start the theatrics of the position, as if she and not special interests in the background will be running this thing.
Also, Chairman Barry voted to put it on the ballot, as did the rest of the commission (actually, I can’t remember what Doug’s vote was or if he was even there that meeting, not that it matters–if I had to guess, he probably stumped for his puppet masters Downtown and out on the Beach). The *voters* technically created this mess, although they were of course led by the nose as the ballot language was your run-of-the-mill ludicrous.
“Do you love your mom, puppies, the American flag, apple pie, and children? If so, check yes.”
She really just wants to help the kids.
Pensacola getting closer to Century status.
This whole boondoggle is growing too as just today Comm May said we need to spend MORE on the childrens.
@Doni,
Maybe THAT’S the reason the powers-that-be keep Century around.
Sad new report just came out we are almost last in the state for what be provide kids another waste of tax payers money spend it on the kids in Century to start just saying
I would love to see information on how this program has benefited the children of a Scambia county. I would like to know how many children have benefited, and in what ways they have benefited. It appears that this is just one more level of bureaucracy that is not needed, and is wasteful. If I am wrong, show me the data. Actually, either way show me the data.
Salary and benefits anywhere else is discussed prior to accepting the job. Increases come from doing more than you were hired to do and being recognized for a good employee and work habits. Unless we are talking about friendships with tax payer money.
the doctors that keep her on the job should pony up the 5 grand !
The position was advertised with the designated salary. if she wasnt willing to accept the job at the listed salary she should not have applied.
This is another waste of taxpayer dollars. The next time this appears on the ballot, I will be voting No for future funding.
We all should be so fortunate.
Commissioner Barry voted to create it. People living in District 5 who think it’s a bad idea should ask Commissioner Barry to let voters vote on the issue again in November. The state law provides a procedure to do exactly that. There wasn’t a real debate about the merits of creating an Escambia Children’s Trust as a special district unaccountable to the public. And, everything it is doing, the BOCC can do. In fact, the BOCC still funds children’s programs so now we have two agencies doing it. Driving the effort in 2019 and 2020 was a political committee founded by Santa Rosa County resident Julian McQueen. The committee spent $255,502.73 on a slick, very one-sided multi-media campaign to persuade votes to approve the BOCC action.
Too much yearly income. Put this job on the ballot. The entire ECT board needs to be audited.
One can’t spell Escambia County Children’s Trust without SCAM
Flat out NO! 120k is plenty for a job she hasn’t even held yet.. plus she gets benefits, so most likely with benefits included, she is making close to 150k- 175k already
As a taxpayer, I have one word to say about her raise! “NO.” If you can’t live off $120,000.00, how is as extra $5,000.00 going to make a difference?!?!?!?
I’m in the wrong line of work
Such a good tax.
Still can’t believe we were so upset that some of it was being wasted in Century.
You just don’t have a spotlight on it being wasted everywhere else.
Another Dream Job.
Another page in a chapter that makes zero sense.
Two questions to consider:
Why would she resign from her current position that seems more viable compared to ECT?
Is she required to resign from that position to receive her new paycheck?
Sorry, but more checks and balances are required. Sadly, it will likely be granted because it’s easier to say yes.
Ridiculous! Put this back on the ballot….I’ll vote the same way I did the first time….NO!!! Big waste of taxpayer dollars! What good is being done For the Children or for the Adult??? No expected goals or markers to measure….right off the bat…$120,000 and ask for $5,000.00 more!!!! I worked for the state helping children in this county and barely made $36,000!!! TIME TO REPEAL THIS!!
She can’t survive on 120K per year? Does this worry anyone?
CRIMINAL STOP THIS
She hasn’t been in office long enough .greedy I call it.we old people live on 1000 a month from the gov.after working all our life.wish we lived on her pay.
And yet you have 20-year teachers still barely breaking the 50k mark yearly. Sad.
Agree with LD. It yells fraud alert.
Since she was modest and only asked for $5,000, she should be rewarded with a $10,000 increase. (Plus the $5,000 she requested.)
Didn’t vote for this in the first place…
It has been a disaster from the start and needs to be revoked.
The nerve to want more money, why not. The property owners are footing the bill.
Ugh..
And out fellow citizens voted this corrupt crap in.
Wonder how many of them actually pay that tax?
Before day one.
Hmmm. Isn’t that interesting.
Not after a six month performance review.