San Luis Obispo City Council member Andrew Carter told a select group of Chamber members on Friday that the top issues facing the City of San Luis Obispo right now are salaries and benefits. 

In it’s first ever session, the Legislative Council’s "Lunch with an Elected" program featured Carter and about a dozen Chamber members in a forthright and frank discussion addressing the city’s key issues.

"This first lunch with Carter went very well," said Michael Gunther, CEO of Collaboration LLC. "We got a chance to learn about his background in very casual setting, and we had active participation from everyone in the group."

The Lunch with an Elected program is a unique opportunity for members of the Chamber’s Legislative Council to talk candidly and openly with their elected officials. The program offers anywhere from eight to 15 seats in the Chamber’s board room, and those in attendance get a chance to ask tough, direct questions that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to ask.

"The goal is to allow more Chamber members to get a better understanding of their elected officials on a more personal level, to learn what drives them and what they are passionate about improving within their elected terms," Gunther said after the lunch.

This first Lunch with an Elected sparked an in-depth discussion on the growing local pension problems. The Tribune Publisher Bruce Ray said, "Bankruptcy is not an option, but sooner or later, the model is going to break."

“The model is breaking," Carter replied. "But unions don’t even have rights to change the formula. We’re paying two-thirds, they’re paying one-third. Once you’ve agreed to this, you’ve fallen off the cliff, and what do you do when that happens? We’re about to go smack."

Legislative Council member Thomas Paine of Paine Financial Services said one solution is that the city could appoint a board of unelected citizens, who don’t depend on endorsements for re-election, to negotiate the pension and salary terms. But a real solution seems to be out of reach for now, especially with the City Council divided on the issue. 

"I’m not sure what the answer is – it's an internal policy thing at the City Council," Carter replied. "The issue is a divided council, and I don’t see how divided generals can succeed going against a united force."

For more information about the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and its member-driven programs, visit www.slochamber.org.