"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Monday 16 August 2010

From the Aurora Citizen Blog

Question from a citizen known as Augustinian :

3. How do you see the role of senior staff (department heads) in operating the town vs. that of council? Do we get sound management in place of political posturing?

Reply

We pay a high price for expertise at management level. In my judgement, we are not getting full value for our money.

I posted a blog on August 14th entitled Council Report Card 2007-2010.

It was the last straw. A low point. A moment of true despair.

I have stubbornly clung to the benefit of the doubt. I can no longer delude myself.

In a normal Council, there is a process to deal privately with such concerns. We are not a normal Council .

An election is on the horizon. You need to know what I know.

From professional staff, I expect judgement, expertise, high standards, respect for regulations and rules, discernment, discretion and integrity.

I expect each Councillor to receive equal respect from staff.

I have observed in the past, municipal staff at the highest level, have a difficult task. Like walking a tight-rope. Recognizing and rigorously maintaining separation of authority between political and administrative is crucial to good management practice.

Realizing a Council is the sum of its parts is equally critical.

The document I copied into a post on August 14th is irrefutable evidence, we fall short.

A year ago, I asked for the costs incurred for legal services during the term.Three times I was assured they were forthcoming. Then a resolution, acceptable to the Chief Financial Officer, was contrived and passed by Council. It allowed for the information I requested, to be refused.

I asked again recently. A graph of legal costs from the year 2000-2009 was produced.
Apparently it took the combined resources of the solicitor and the treasurer to prepare. It provided no information of any substance. .

In May, I challenged justification for a substantial increase in water rates. "Water loss" was increased from 8% to 12%. When I sought specific details , they were refused. The stated reason was, I might "misrepresent" the figures.

A couple of weeks ago, I sought clarification about an ad in The Aurora Banner. It bore no identifying logo.

It presented as a letter of appreciation from the St.Kitts woman to every individual and organization who participated in the July 1st Parade.

The first account I received was the St Kitts woman had money left over in "her" budget and decided to use some of it for an ad.

Several hours after seeking clarification of the authorisation , I received an e-mail from a vacationing Chief Financial Officer. He stated he had authorized the expenditure at the request of Councillor MacEachern, Chair of the Leisure Services Advisory Committee and" the plans were kept from" the St. Kitts woman.

No Councillor has authority to direct staff. No person other than the St.Kitts woman would have had the list of every individual and organization who participated in the July 1st Parade. No-one else could have written the ad.

I am unable to accept the Chief Financial Officer's assertion that he authorized the ad.

I must conclude the St. Kitts woman gave direction to staff and incurred spending of public
resources. No Councillor has that authority.

The same individual who was formally notified public amenities had to remain accessible to the public during the commercial Jazz Festival but barred entry nevertheless.


Two paragraphs of a statement bearing the name of the Chief Administrative Officer bear repeating here:(August 14th Post, Council Report Card)

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The results listed reflect the combined efforts of many individuals. committees and Council members working to produce results that are beneficial to the residents of Aurora. Some of these items will be familiar to residents. Those of a strategic and long term nature will be valuable reminders that the on-going management of town budgets, capital expenditures, planning and services is the focus of staff under the guidance of an informed and supportive Council.

Finally, they are proof of the on-going partnership , between staff, Council, and the committees.
This partnership, along with a shared vision and hard work by all parties, has resulted in the long list of accomplishments outlined in this document.

Neil Garbe,
Chief Administrative Officer
Town of Aurora

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My experience as a part of the Council , is not reflected in the patently political and self-congratulatory claims expressed of the above two paragraphs.

The right to judge a Council's performance belongs elsewhere.

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