Yesterday, it was announced that former Roanoke City Councilwoman Gwen Mason has started a new job as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the US Attorney’s Office. In this capacity, Mason will work with law enforcement agencies, community members, and other groups throughout Southwest Virginia to try and prevent crime.

Specifically, Mason said this of her new job: “What you want to do is get the pre-bad guys before people make wrong choice that is what we’re trying to do with this effort.”

I’m assuming a “pre-bad guy” is someone who has yet to decide to enter into a life of crime. It must be one of those legal terms. And for all this Mason will earn $86,000 a year for three years, paid through a grant form the US Justice Department.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a lot of money to help other groups come together to stop “pre-bad guys.” Consider what a police officer in Washington, DC, one of the most violent cities in the nation, earns. A starting officer brings just over half Mason’s new salary… $48,000. And the most experienced, seasoned officer would still earn less than her at $71,000.

A 2007 Roanoke Times article gave the starting salaries for police officers in our area, which included what Roanoke City and County officers makes. Officers in both jurisdictions earn just over $31,000. And a job posting for a Roanoke City Sheriff’s deputy posted the starting salary as $32,000.

According to virginia.gov, the starting salary for many Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys is also just over half Mason’s salary, at $45,000.

Finally, PayScale.com lists the average starting wages for a social worker, some of the people Mason will be working with in her effort to stop the “pre-bad guys,” is between $25,000 and $26,000.

Which makes me wonder why Mason would earn so much more than all the other people who are actively working to either prevent or fight crime? Is her new job, which was described as in large part grant writer, worth $86,000 of your hard earned tax payer dollars? Is this really the best use of money when most families have been tightening their belts and all state and local governments have been cutting services and in some cases raising taxes?

In Southwest Virginia, $86,000 can go a long way. It could fund almost three police officer salaries, more than three social workers, and two commonwealth’s attorney positions.

I wonder if Mason will be doing the work of three people in her new role?