Video Transcript:

(Editor's note: The interim chief administrator of the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation is Brian Trotier, not Bill Trotier as mentioned in this interview.)

JOANNE FARYON (Host): For months we've been hearing a lot of budget talk and the need to cut, cut, and cut. Well, after the City of San Diego managed to balance its budget, partly because of a six percent pay cut to city employees, turns out some are getting raises. The housing commission is giving raises and bonuses. The convention center corporation is giving pay raises under union contracts. And the Southeastern Development Corporation gave a 25 percent increase to its interim chief administrator this week. This is the agency that was in hot water last year for giving out thousands in bonuses and extra pay. Ricky Young, is this the thing they should have done now? Bill Trotier, he's the interim chief at SEDC, he's now being payed $150 thousand a year. Was this a good decision?

RICKY YOUNG (San Diego Union-Tribune): Well, it's not for me to say whether it was a good decision. It was certainly an interesting decision. The city's asking its employees to take a six percent cut in pay and benefits. SEDC is one of these agencies that's sort of a quasi-independent agency. It's set up as a non-profit, it has its own board and so they can make the decisions they want. There's an irony in this, obviously, where Brian Trotier was brought in to clean up the mess after, as you mentioned, the bonus scandal from his predecessor, who gave out $872,000 in bonuses to herself and her staff. So you can give him credit for taking on a very difficult situation, staying longer than he had anticipated staying because a permanent replacement for Carolyn Smith - who left - that's been held up as the city decides whether it wants to keep this governance structure that frustrated the mayor when he wanted to do something about the situation at SEDC. So as they look at a change in the governance structure, the search for a permanent replacement has been more or less put on hold, and so he's staying longer than anticipated and that's what they're saying. They're saying he's doing a good job, he's staying longer than he meant to stay. But still, a 25 percent raise just looks very different when across the city people are taking a six percent cut in pay and benefits.

FARYON: Tony, how is the public going to react to this? You know, for weeks oh we've got to cut and everyone has to sacrifice. What kind of message does this send?

TONY PERRY (Los Angeles Times): Well, it sends a message that some people are more equal than others. But lets remember, we talked about don't ask, don't tell - has it outlived its usefulness. We have to ask whether the Southeast Development Corporation, Center City Development Corporation, housing commission, a couple of other things, have outlived their usefulness. These were created a generation ago, frankly, in reaction to a sort of stultifying culture at City Hall - that City Hall departments couldn't handle these difficult tasks. Lets get this other situation going so that we have performance, and we can fire people at the top if they don't perform. So, you mentioned $150,000, my view is if he does the job, he's worth it. If he doesn't, get rid of him and get someone. I feel about these folks like I do whoever is playing shortstop for the Padres. They're worth what they perform. If this fellow starts bumbling the ball and hitting 120 with men on base, get rid of him, get somebody better, pay them $175 until it works.

FARYON: Thank you, Tony Perry and Ricky Young.