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Vancouver city manager Judy Rogers fired
Dr. Penny Ballem to take over position
By BOB MACKIN, 24 HOURS
Just five days after taking the oath of office, Mayor Gregor Robertson has rocked city hall with the firing of city manager Judy Rogers.
A news release issued at 10:19 a.m. Friday announced Dr. Penny Ballem would immediately take over the job held by Rogers since 1999.
"Judy Rogers has made an enormous contribution to the City of Vancouver over the course of her 20-year career here. She built a talented and dedicated professional team over the years and she has worked hard to help make Vancouver the great city it is today," Robertson said in the news release. "I wish her the best as she moves forward in her career."
Newcomer Ballem comes to city hall from her position as corporate director for Bentall Capital and senior advisor to RPO Management Consultants. The clinical hematologist was the B.C. government's Deputy Minister of Health from 2001 to 2006.
Opponents criticized Rogers for her handling of the lengthy 2007 civic workers' strike. Rogers sat on the board of directors for Vancouver's Olympic organizing committee, which met behind closed doors on Tuesday. Robertson was a special guest.
Robertson's Vision Vancouver dominated city council meets today behind closed-doors to discuss the previous NPA-majority council's controversial $100 million loan to Olympic Village developer Millennium. Leaked information about the bailout was the central issue of the civic election campaign. Rogers pledged to reveal the deal to citizens within 30 days of his inauguration.
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In my view Judy Rogers had to go as a prerequisite to fixing what ails Vancouver's municipal government. I was concerned that she would simply be replaced with the next in line. It is encouraging that they've gone outside for her replacement and this is someone who evidently walked away from a senior provincial government post and was frank about her reasons.
It bodes well. Hopefully they realize that even with a new captain, the ship itself is still in a ruinous state and will require a long-term major refit.
What I saw among City workers was terminal cynicism. Many, if not most, will resist seeing this as an encouraging sign. The new mayor and council will need to work hard to eradicate that cynicism, and it would be a mistake for them to sit back and expect the new City Manager to do the job alone. If they have in fact found someone up to the task, they'd better not risk losing her.
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