“We run a $40 billion corporation that matters an awful lot to the people of Alberta and the economy of this country”—former Premier Redford in the Legislature, March 4, 2014
Excuse me??? The “government” is not a “corporation”, its premier is not the CEO and the cabinet is not the executive leadership team. Unfortunately Ms Redford and her team failed to grasp this distinction (hint: it hinges on the concept of “public service”).
Last week’s revelation that Alison Redford ordered changes, commonly referred to as the “Premier’s Penthouse”, as part of the ongoing renovations to the Federal Building demonstrates just how far the PC government has drifted from the ideal of public service.
The Federal Building
The Federal Building is a landmark art deco building built in 1958. The government is updating the building to make it suitable for MLA offices and government staff. The renovation contract was tendered in 2008.
The government expects the project to cost $375 million and to be completed in 2015. One small snag—the project will be four years late and $100 million over budget.
In the real world heads would roll. But in the world of government this was a non-event—until the CBC discovered the Premier’s Penthouse nestled away on the 11th floor. Then it turned into a political nightmare.
The penthouse that refused to die
In January 2012 Ms Redford added a penthouse at the top of the Federal Building. Architects prepared plans for a 2,500 square foot space that included two bedrooms, a bathroom, powder room, walk-in closet, butler’s pantry and dining, study and lounge areas. She was partial to the refined style of the Hay Adams Hotel in Boston and was soon reviewing plans and requesting colour boards. Her staff met with Edmonton city planners to smooth over the public notice requirements for an “occupancy” permit. Everyone was busy bringing Ms Redford’s dream to fruition. The total cost was $740,000. And it was all coming out of the taxpayer’s pocket.
At some point prior to Nov 15, 2012 Infrastructure Minister Wayne Drysdale learned about the Premier’s Penthouse (it’s not clear from whom or how) and did something (it’s not clear what) and as a result of these actions (whatever they were) it was his “understanding” that the Premier’s Penthouse would be replaced by two boardrooms and additional hosting space.
Hay Adams Hotel
On Dec 2013 Mr Drysdale and Mr McIver switched jobs…thank god or the contractors would soon be putting the finishing touches on a butler’s pantry for a premier who is no longer in public service.
Mr McIver moved to Infrastructure and Mr Drysdale moved to Transportation. Someone (again) informed the new Infrastructure minister, Mr McIver, about the Premier’s Penthouse. This thing was like a zombie that refused to die 14 months after it had been killed by Mr Drysdale.
Mr McIver visited the site, confirmed that work was ongoing and put a stop to it. Apparently the Premier’s office did not push back.
A nonexistent “system” of checks and balances
Now this is where it gets interesting. According to Mr Lukaszuk, then the deputy premier, no one in caucus had any idea that Ms Redford had ordered the Premier’s Penthouse. The fact that this exposes a glaring lack of checks and balances seems to have gone right over Mr Lukaszuk’s head. In his view: “If one really goes out of their way and chooses to break the rules, they will do so—but usually the system will catch them—and this is a prime example of that.”
What nonsense! Ms Redford commissioned her penthouse in Jan 2012. The change orders, emails, visits from the Premier’s staff, whatever, that triggered these renovations continued to flow unchallenged for two full years.
Mr Drysdale
There was no “system” in place to catch a breach of process that earmarked $740,000 in taxpayer dollars for the Premier’s personal use. There was no “system” in place to ensure that a direct order from a cabinet minister, Mr Drysdale, was indeed carried out. Lastly, there was no “system” in place to enlighten Mr Drysdale and/or a small group of cabinet ministers that an unauthorized construction project had not been terminated after he’d issued the “tools down” order because according to Mr Lucaszuk, no one in caucus knew about the Premier’s Penthouse until they learned about it from the CBC.
And that, my friends, is frightening.
The PC government may think it’s running a “$40 billion corporation” but the Federal Building renovation project demonstrates that the MLAs we’ve entrusted to make prudent expenditures on our behalf are not capable of running a hot dog stand.
If the government were a corporation its board of directors would demand an audit (and we should demand one here) and fire the executives in charge of a project that came in $100 million over budget and 4 years late.
But Albertans are coping with a government, not a corporation. We don’t have the luxury of firing the PC cabinet ministers responsible for the Premier’s Penthouse. But in 2016 we will have the pleasure of hanging a sign on the newly renovated Federal Building. It will say “Under New Management”. Oh Happy Day!!!
Susan on the Soapbox 
Susan you have a wonderful way of putting into words the shock and awe I think we all feel as more and more layers are peeled off of the onion that was Ms. Redford’s government.
Thank you Jim. 🙂
“But Albertans are coping with a government, not a corporation.”
Just wait until the Wildrose takes over in Alberta as they have in Ottawa. The oil industry will be writing the legislation in Alberta just as they do in Ottawa. And they won’t even bother to disguise that fact. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Anonymous: unfortunately the PCs re-wrote the legislation in favour of the oil companies a few years ago and appointed industry and PC insiders to key regulatory posts–Gerry Protti, formerly of CAPP, is the chairman of the new Alberta Energy Board, Jim Elliis, formerly DM for Environment is Protti’s CEO and Lorne Taylor, a former PC MLA is the head of the oilsands emissions monitoring agency. The PCs put the structure in place, all the WR needs to do is run it. What will be interesting is whether WRers like Joe Anglin get any traction. He’s been very vocal about the province’s “environmental deficit”. Who knows.
Thanks for the information. So the oil industry is already writing Alberta legislation, and has been for a number of years under the the direction of the PCs.
But do you seriously believe that the Wildroseres won’t make the situation even worse if they obtain power? After all, their leader, Danielle Smith, is a graduate of Tom Flanagan’s ‘School of Charm’ at the Frasier Institute.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth thinking about, or writing about these issues. The outcome always seems to be preordained by the power of the corporatocrazy these days. I think Van Morrison has a good perspective.
Update….
That there is no Plan B is becoming more obvious with each passing day…how nice to have something to listen to while it all slides sideways.
The music is nice to listen to, but its primary goal is edification. An effort to prevent the slide.
Anon…point well taken. Thank you.
Jim Lees: it was never “Ms. Redford’s government” – no more than it was Ralph Klein’s, Don Getty’s, or Ed Stelmach’s. The idea that the ideology of a party is guided by the latest leader of that party is one of the problems of modern government and for the modern electorate.
In tying a government’s policies and actions to a particular personality, that governments nosedive in popularity can easily be hung around the neck of the leader to plunge overboard when that person is jettisoned by the ‘reinvented’ party. The new leader is then portrayed as a kinder, gentler “man/woman of the people” and leads a reinvented party to victory.
I’m sure that more of Redford’s transgressions will be leaked to the media over the next few weeks to confirm that she was the source of every negative thing ‘her’ PC government did while under her ‘evil spell’.
Susan: I know that lurid pieces on Redford’s excesses make good print, but the more we play into the scenario painted by the real power behind the throne the longer this shell game can continue.
Fritz I totally disagree with you that playing this scenario will cause the game to continue. It was exposure that brought Alison Redford to her knees and it is even more exposure that will bring an end to this group of aristocrats that deserve nothing at all. It is the hiding of what is going on that has kept them in power. People have the right to know so that they can make the correct decision come the next election day.
This is an absurd. We have now a true third world ‘corporation’ running our affairs. Alison Redford is not only a bad politician, she is a crook and should be kicked out of the Legislature. If what is going on is not enough to get this government out of there and call for early elections, I wonder what it is?
Carlos, you’ll note from my response to Fritz and Jim that I agree with your comment and think that it dovetails nicely into what I’m trying to accomplish on the Soapbox. Every mistake made by the former premier and others in her caucus provides an opportunity for Albertans to look more closely at the PC government. My ultimate hope is to pull on the thread of entitlement and abuse of public trust long enough that the entire sweater (in this case mink coat) unravels. Your comments and the comments of others help us look at the ruling dynasty and its competitor the WR from many different perspectives…very helpful indeed. Thanks.
So for fun, think about this: We know this Sky Palace will be the subject of some of the first questions in QP in the legislature on Monday when they come back. We can pretty much predict what the “answers” will be about this, and then just imagine what the answers would have been if the questions were asked 2 weeks ago, before Redford resigned.
p.s. To be clear, “Clear” is not a word commonly used in the same sentence as Wayne Drysdale 🙂
No kidding Midge! A reporter asked Mr Drysdale about the cost of Calgary’s ring road. He said: “It will be less than $10 billion and more than $1.8 billion. How’s that?” A few days later the Finance Minister pegged the number at $5 billion, but Mr Drysdale waffled saying the $5 billion number was just a “rough number” and that the government wouldn’t know the final number until the project was put out to tender and the bids returned. So between Drysdale and Horner they gave notice to all bidders that risk-adverse bidders should bid just under $5 billion while the high-rollers should bid just under $10 billion. Brilliant!
FK, you are correct, it was not Ms. Redford’s government, it is our government, however it appears she acted at times as if it was hers, the penthouse dealings being one such occasion. The shock I refer to is that the system of checks and balances in place did not serve us well. The awe was actually a typo – I meant to say aw, not again. I doubt there are many Albertans who feel good about this issue, or how it ended. Our elected officials should stand and fall based on their policies, positions and performance, and not on questionable decisions regarding inappropriate use of public funds for personal benefit. Albertans have the right to expect a higher standard from their Leaders, and when that does not happen we need to know enough in order to make informed decisions at the polls. The issues that led up to her departure were not for the most part the result of flawed government policies or broken election promises, they arose because of questionable judgment and decision-making by the former Premier and her staff. The term ‘cheques and balances’ takes on new meaning in these situations.
Albertans should be concerned about ‘the scenario painted by the power behind the throne’ if party politics are able override the democratic process. Hopefully some ambitious author will see an opportunity and publish an account of the rise and fall of Ms. Redford. It might shed some light for Albertans on the role party politics plays in governing Alberta.
Fritz and Jim: I posted a brilliant reply to your comments and it vapourized so I’ll try again. I agree that Albertans need to understand that notwithstanding how much distance the PC government is trying to create between itself and Ms Redford, the Premier’s Penthouse was not the result of Ms Redford off on a frolic of her own. However, as I said to Carlos, every mistake Ms Redford and her colleagues make provides a stepping stone to the bigger discussion. Why did this happen? How did this happen? Is the PC government corrupt or simply stupid? Maybe it’s both.
When I post these blogs I try to leave some openings so that readers can add to the discussion with their comments. Thank you both for emphasizing the bigger issue here which is…it’s not all about Alison, it’s about a dynastic political party that has run out of steam.
Am wondering if Ms. Redford had plans for a golden throne in her bathroom like the one former president, Mr. Yanokovich had in the Ukraine. – or perhaps golden doors like the ones in Mr. Putin’s house of horrors.
Myakula, $740,000 can buy a lot of stuff, but then again they planned to move an elevator shaft to accommodate her wishes, makes your head spin, doesn’t it!
Fritz Kropfreiter — I think you are absolutely right. The idea that Ms. Redford could have on her own ordered a “Premier’s Penthouse” is absurd; almost surely it was justified on the basis that the Premier of Alberta needed such a space and the PCs simply felt sure it would be theirs, for PC premiers, forever (and that since they *are* the government they could do as they liked with taxpayer money). I loved Susan’s analysis in the last post (“Thank you Alison Redford”) — the disclosure laws that were her doing were also her undoing. The incredible *scramble* to then paint every PC sin as hers and hers alone (helped along by a healthy dose of old-fashioned sexism) should be recognized for what it is: an attempt to hold on to power. I’d love to see Susan’s analysis of what this means for Wild Rose. I’m not a conservative myself, but I’m reckoning there are a lot of conservative women out there who are disgusted by the PC use of Redford as an all-purpose witch and who might vote for Danielle Smith in protest of it.
Kathleen, I’ve been all over the map with respect to the role of sexism in Redford’s downfall and will post something on it when I firm up my thoughts. I must admit it hadn’t dawned on me that it may drive conservative women into the arms of the WR. Very intriguing.
Well, I will look forward to it. I always learn from your analyses.
Well its unfortunate that the pc’s mla folks have not read some of Will Rogers quotes and apply it to there governing principles. unfortunate also is the mla people not standing up to Alison right from day one. I think that folks will get to see Danielle is a very principelled individual and policy for individual advantage will be nipped in the bud but pronto. There is more opposition now than in the last 43 years and that bodes well for us ordinary mortals as we will find out what is going on.
Tom I do not doubt Danielle Smith is a principled person but she is not there yet. Apparently Alison Redford is a classy lady and so are Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin and …..etc. There is a reason why people go into politics and 95% of them is not to serve us. From all the examples we see around the world and here in Alberta, the objective is power and greed. We in North America have special training on both. I just read on the paper this morning that Mr. Zuma, the president of South Africa and one of the freedom fighters against apartheid is now spending something like 23 million in renovations on his private state. Humans need checks and balances and regardless of who they are, I want to see strict rules and strict controls of anyone who wants to be an MLA or premier of this province. I do not want to hear how wonderful they are anymore. Alison Redford as far as I am concerned is useless to run an ice cream stand never mind a province. I have seen enough.
It is time for us to sit down and rebuilt everything if we want to have anything left for the next generation. The very first thing is to get business out of government just like we did with religion. This is the biggest cancer in our pseudo democracies. I do not think that Danielle will do that. She actually wants government to be even more business integrated, soooo … the problem will continue with or without the PCs.
Tom, I have the same impression of Danielle and while I don’t agree with all her policies–for one thing I don’t share her view that the market will do a better job of delivering social services than the government–she’s taken a strong stand against corporate welfare, Anglin is pushing for better environmental regulation, they fought the changes to REDA, the MGA, etc. So that’s something.
Susan, Alison Redford won the last election on promises she made that we very quickly learned were just pure lies. So how do I know what part of Danielle’s ideas are what she really thinks. She has been very quick on changing some of the language the party used but nothing else. Danielle Smith, will say anything that is needed to get elected.
We do not have the power of recall but one thing is fast changing in the world and also in Alberta and Alison Redford is an example – we can now move to get these people to their knees. I do not think the elites predicted this. Rebellion is now a reality and it is going to happen first in the US.
Carlos, valid points with respect to both Redford and Smith. Your comment about getting business out of government is well taken. While I don’t dispute the need for a strong economy it can’t be done at the expense of everything else–environment, health, education, seniors. We can’t be held to ransom by industry threatening to walk away when a government (which is supposed to be representing the people who own the natural resources) wants to restructure the royalty regime to ensure that Albertans receive appropriate compensation. Mitchell Anderson, writing in The Tyee, says that BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan boast about charging lower royalty rates than any US state and wonders why they see this as a good thing when in actual fact it demonstrates that they’re lousy negotiators. Here’s the link: http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/03/31/Canada-Lousy-Oil-Negotiator/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=310314.
Susan it is a great article and he is absolutely right. Canada just like the US has always worked hard to show the world that we are friendly to business and that we have the lowest taxes. We do have indeed. We are now the place to suck dry, the place where natural resources are cheap and with a bit of smarts some foreing workers can be imported cheaper as well. The problem is that people do not realize that this is not a consequence of the Conservative policies. This is their policy. This is what they actually fight tooth and nail for. They really believe that having businesses owning and paying nothing for our natural resources is the best economic policy for the country. it is really mind boggling and it is demented.
I do not dispute a strong economy either but we are now in a path where we no longer rip any benefits from the resources we own other than jobs and we are polluting at a rate that will be very difficult to catch up with even if the money is there for the cleanup which I doubt.
Going back to Danielle Smith, we have to remember that she is 100% behind this kind of policy. She is a Neo-con and she is a true believer in the policies we have now experimented with for a couple of decades and that brought great gains for the top 1% and nothing at all for the rest of us. So to me it is a great mistake to be promoting Danielle in face of the pathetic death of the PCs. Damielle Smith is an extreme right wing politician and that will come out once she wins the election.
I liken the provincial PC government and party to a serpent. The head has been chopped off, but the serpent continues to live, and grow a new head. While this new head is growing, the serpent is able to distract the people from this by pointing out that the head was in control and how bad the last head was, and it hides in the shadows. The serpent adapts to it’s environment, like all creatures do. It’s new head will appear gentler, kinder, and tamed, while it’s ugly, selfish, deceitful, dark soul still remains in the belly of the beast. It slithers through all our lives, undetected, then it strikes innocent people. It feeds when it wants, sleeps when it wants, basks in the light, and hunts in the dark, all the while growing bigger and stronger. It sheds it’s skin every so often, but it’s colours remain. The serpent only appears to change to ensure it’s survival.
Just some of my thoughts on the PC party and government……
Musings aside, I have some major concerns with regards to the money this PC government gives away and/or spends, and the source of that money.
In my household, if a project (building or renovation) is delayed and/or exceeds the money budgeted for that purpose, it is included in my next monthly or yearly household budget. It doesn’t disappear, it still needs dealt with, and be paid, or the project stops and is unfinished.
The provincial budget was just revealed. Was the increased cost of the renovation of the federal building included in that budget? Other things that don’t seem to be in the budget: Edmonton LRT expansion money, and superlab construction money. The PC party seems to be giving away or spending millions of dollars lately, and it does not appear to be accounted for in the budget. Do they have a stash of cash that is hidden from the people of Alberta? A stash of millions that they can use for “discretionary” purposes, that they can use to feather their nests, or become a superhero who saves the day, to which everyone should be thankful? Not to mention the millions paid out in severance packages in the last few years and days…..
Where are these unallocated millions coming from??????? My first reaction is that they are coming from the Heritage Trust Fund, but who knows. Is the PC party cooking the books?
The only real source of money for a DEMOCRATIC government is tax dollars. This government is then accountable to the taxpayers to ensure appropriate allocation of these tax dollars, and prepares a budget with a plan for funding programs, projects, etc. that contribute to the lives of the taxpayers. Any income from investments made on behalf of the taxpayers, using taxpayer dollars, is to be returned to taxpayers, in the form of programs, projects, etc. to further contribute to or enhance the lives of the population.
Ultimately, the source of the “magical money” that appeared was the Alberta taxpayer, unless we are no longer a democratic society with a democratic government, and another source was involved. Maybe we are now governed by a pseudo-democratic government.
The government either has the money for expenditures, or it doesn’t. We are told time and time again that this government “doesn’t have the money” for healthcare, education, etc., etc. Yet, this “magical money” appears and it is unreported to the people of Alberta through the provincial budget. Millions are being spent in the shadows (the penthouse), while more unplanned spending of millions is flaunted in the news (LRT expansion). MILLIONS!!!!!! How much unreported spending has been going on? I wondered why, in a rich province like Alberta, we could not afford the basics….I guess now we know…..a multimillion dollar slush fund?
Where are these millions stashed?
Why are these millions being hidden from the people of Alberta?
Why are these millions of tax dollars not used to fund desperately needed, essential, basic programs?
A financial audit is definitely in order!!!!! It seems full disclosure, transparency and truthfulness is not a strong suit of this government or party! A full scale investigation should be performed with a fine tooth comb!!!!
Lunelle, your comment about “magical money” was extremely timely. The National Post just broke the story about the PC’s Tapcal Trust–a legal trust fund available ONLY to the PC party that is totally shielded from Alberta’s campaign finance laws. Reminds me of when I was working on a deal in China. We were getting ready to sign the contracts when our Chinese partner pointed out that the clause that said that both parties would operate in accordance with the laws of the land only applied to the “published” laws, not the secret laws. I asked (naively) how would my company know we’d broken a secret law and he said, the police would be at our door.
So here we are in Alberta and now 43 years after the PCs have been in power we discover that the PC party has a secret trust fund that is protected by a law no one seems to know existed. Unbelievable.
It is not just unbelievable, it should be grounds to sue them in case we find out they were using it illegaly to finance their election campaigns. I can already imagine the findings. Corporations were depositing money in this trust fund to compensate for their free ownership of our resources.
There is also an old issue gaining momentum again. The Lung transplant gate that was never resolved, except that we lost one of the best lung doctors in North America to Harvard and Sherman’s reputation was quite damaged. I cannot wait to see it bloom as well.
The PCs may not be dead yet but they are fast approaching the dead zone. Vultures are circling already. Not even Jim Dinning is interested in the leadership of the party – WOW! It will be interesting to see who is going to run. Do they even have the money for the leadership convention? Maybe they should invite Rob Ford.
Carlos, your comment about Rob Ford got me thinking. Toronto is continuing to operate notwithstanding the fact Rob Ford has been stripped of power and is now nothing more than an irritating side show. Compare that to our situation: Redford steps down. She’s replaced by Hancock, a seasoned veteran with all the powers of a fully functioning premier. He says it’s full steam ahead under the Redford government policies, later he says some of policies may be discussed in the PC leadership race and “a new leader may determine to alter course–that’s up to them” Calgary Herald, Apr 3, p A4. If the premier is accountable to caucus (as Peter Lougheed said) and caucus has agreed on these policies, many of which have been passed into law, then why would the new premier “alter course” and where pray tell will he/she take us?
Rob Ford wouldn’t touch the PC party with a 10 foot pole.
Susan, when that story broke, I smiled, and winced. I had answers to my questions about the “magical money”, Ahaaa! I knew it!!!! And on the downside…confirmation that they are rotten to the core.
Interesting that you spoke of China and secret laws…..we definitely have those here, in Alberta. In the last week, 2 people in “out of scope” positions in the lab were met by security in their offices, told they had 5 minutes to pack personal belongings and leave, escorted off the property by security. The privatization of the hospital labs hasn’t happened yet, but the process has begun….I’ve seen this before, during the last lab privatization, but now it is happening before privatization. AHS, as a leg of the government, is now forcefully removing people from their positions.
AHS is also forcing frontline lab workers to attend a seminar regarding “change of management”. At first, this seminar was voluntary, and was offered only at the UAH, but open to all employees. The response was underwhelming. These seminars were then offered at each site, to make attendance easier. In some cases, still no response. Frontline workers were not volunteering to attend, even though these seminars were on site, during business hours. NOW, management has “taken the liberty” of scheduling each of us to attend. We are now being forced to attend this useless seminar, but we will be paid our regular wage. Tax dollars and healthcare dollars being put to good use!!!! NOT!!!! AHS can then come back and say we provided tools the staff needed for privatization adjustment….BS!!!
If we still don’t go…..who knows what the punishment will be…secret laws…. I am sure that the guy in charge of these sessions needs a certain attendance percentage and is mandated by AHS to achieve this percentage, and he will probably receive some kind of bonus for it, which is why we are now ordered to attend, at taxpayers expense and healthcare dollars are being spent on this…..and we don’t want to attend…..again, secret laws…..
I didn’t know I lived in China…..some days, it’s hard to tell…..
Lunelle, were the two ‘out of scope” employees told that they were going to be let go? The reason I ask is that in all my years in the private sector I’ve never seen anything like this. Usually if a person is going to be terminated, he’s called into a meeting with his boss and the HR person. The boss explains that he’s redundant because of a corporate reorg or whatever and then gives the employee an envelop which contains his severance information, ongoing benefits if any through the severance period, outplacement counseling etc. The boss talks the employee through the contents of the envelop but the employee is in shock and doesn’t really understand it (he is told to call the HR person with any questions once he’s had a chance to digest everything). Then the HR person escorts the employee back to his office, helps the employee clear out some some small personal items and then escorts him to the front door. They usually arrange a time on the weekend when the office is relatively quiet for the employee to come back and get the rest of his stuff. Terminations are hard on the people leaving and the people staying. They have to be done right. The fact that this is happening even before the contract has been awarded to the private company makes me wonder what the heck is going on?
Well I would also not touch Rob Ford with a ten foot pole.
The damage to our reputation as a country from all the scandals is way greater than people think. I do not remember our reputation this shaky ever since I became an adult. Quite a few years back 🙂 it is disturbing at least to me.
Carlos, it’s not every day that you get to watch a government fall to bits. Watching the PCs try to distance themselves from Redford is turning into a parlour game. The one that cracks me up is Doug Horner who says Redford strayed from the PC party’s values. What values? And how does the debt budget and its clear-as-mud presentation that he rammed through reflect those values?
The Penthouse is just one small example of our entitled government. I just printed off a copy of the “Sunshine” list. The list , exposes the salary of Government employees who make over $100,000.00 a year. This is public information. The list also breaks down salary, cash benifits and non-cash benifits. The report is 198 pages and contains approx. 20 names per page. You do the math. It will take you less time to calculate by using the “Old Math” logic. I should also add, this list is broken down by ministry and position. Feel free to email me for a digital copy.
Thanks Lana, I went to the website and found all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff including “recognition” for various government departments for doing what in the business world we’d consider their jobs. There appears to be absolutely no policy guiding who gets how much and why. Apparently the severance paid to Stelmach’s chief of staff, Ron Glen, was $$263,256 after five years of service, but the severance paid to Redford’s chief of staff, Farouk Adatia, was $366,871 after two years of service. $100,000 more for less than half the service? What gives?