Dear Editor.Some Council observers have often speculated on who is calling the shots City Hall; staff or elected Councillors. The departure of a number of senior staff without any explanation has lead to speculation as to the
root cause(s).
According to a resident who complained about a by-law
infraction, the Mayor did not know that the Manager of By-law Enforcement
had been among those who had departed. Who’s toes did the five step on –
the City Manager’s or Council’s? Now that there has been a significant
shift in players at City Hall will Mayor Banman finally deliver on his
election promises of transparency and accountability?
What type of City Manager does Abbotsford now have – one who is a “take
charge” type of manager who does not have much time for the democratically
elected Council or public input? Or, is he one who will help Mayor Banman
deliver on his election promises? I guess time will tell between now and
the Nov. 2014 local elections. Does this excerpt from an article re the
Prince George Mayor and City Manager sound like what is possibly
(re)occurring here?
“There is an old saying – knowledge is power. Having another set of eyes
on supplier information diminishes the power of the city administration,
and subjects its decisions to closer scrutiny. Once again, the mayor
allied herself with unelected top city officials against an elected
councillor.”
http://www.250news.com/blog/view/28889/1/power+shift+at+pg+city+hall%3f
Lynn Perrin BGS MPP
FairAll Consulting
www.fairallconsulting.ca