Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Is Gregor Robertson, Vision Mayor-Elect backtracking already?

I am very concerned that Gregor Robertson is backtracking on what to do with City Hall officials and the $100 Million loan fiasco, and the shameful way the Esther Lo situation was handled courtesy of Judy Rogers.

Here is a quote from http://www.irwinloy.com/blog/tag/gregor-robertson"I’m very concerned when a chief financial officer steps aside and resigns,” Robertson said. “I’d like to know why and what concerns exist around that.”But he acknowledged Judy Rogers, the city’s powerful top bureaucrat, would have the final say on the matter.“I’ll see what the city manager says about whether these concerns can be aired,” Robertson said.

Judy Rogers having the final say? Wondering whether concerns about the Chief Financial Officer having her responsibilities pulled and then she leaves under unknown circumstances prior to the election, and that information is withheld from the public and even over 3 weeks after she resigned, we still don't know what happened?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it's too early yet to conclude that Robertson is backtracking. I don't think he's tipped his hand yet, or had the time to make a proper assessment of the issues.

Having said that, I also think this could be a test for both him and Vision. Though I have no connections inside the political system, I've put considerable time into studying it from the outside.

I would say that Allan Garr has broken a story, and it's interesting that no one else in the press has said anything about it yet. I note that the Vancouver Courier is owned by Canwest.

My concern is that Vision may turn out to be no more effective in running the City than anyone else who's had a shot at it. They're coming in with a lot of political baggage themselves.

What we seem to need is some real leadership - a mayor who is not afraid to take command of the bridge. That's how Larry Campbell presented himself, but evidently he wasn't up to the job. That the City of Vancouver appears to rely upon an "indispensible" City Manager is proof of the failure of the political system.

Having worked at City Hall I can attest to the price of that failure. Any politician or bureaucrat who claims they have a plan to fix all the City's problems without regard to the sad state of affairs throughout the bureaucracy is a fool. That's what we've endured for years. I am hopeful that Gregor Robertson understands that.

Anonymous said...

I voted Vision because I believe in Mr. Robertson. I think he has Vancouver's residences' interests at heart.

Having said that I agree with Chris, we need a mayor to take back the helm. I do not believe in judy rogers and I believe that her fiscal stunts are self serving; saving money does come at a cost. I voted for vision this round because I believe Mr. Robertson does not suffer fools but, if jr is still here in three years, I'll vote for anyone who truly promises to make the necessary changes in city hall. The severance package is justified.

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