Why Vote when Judy Rogers runs the city anyway?

I am a strong believer in utilizing your vote in a democracy. This time, however, I am quite disillusioned about the municipal votes in Vancovuer.

Till recently, I thought that Peter Ladner would get my vote for the next Mayor. Aside from the fact that he never once bothered to respond to email I sent him, the shennigans with the $100 Million "loan" to Millenium bother me a lot. Not so much that they loaned the money, but that they not only tried to keep it secret, but talk about getting the police on whoever did the public a favor whether that was their intention or not. I just don't like Peters talk about how the negotiations had to be secret or we would be in a bad position. Everyone knew about the cost overruns on the project, it was public information. Everyone knew of the softening real estate market. The Developer needed the money, what kind of leverage would they have?

This attitude suggests that all of us taxpayers are idiots who don't understand whats going on.

Beyond all the people asking for our vote, what difference would it really make? They will still raise property taxes, and we will still have the same problems we have with the current administration. I can guarantee it. Worse, nothing changes in the real seat of power, the unelected City Managers office. This is the entity that Vancouverites deal with. I want to know what those running for office plan to do to ensure that City Hall is accountable to citizens of Vancouver.

No one is talking about the $100 Million

Strange, this issue had some legs last week, now nothing. No one is asking exactly what kind of guarantees we have in Vancouver. No one is asking when this information would have been relayed to Vancouver residents if not for it being leaked. Would we only have found out about it if it turns out, as I think it will, that we are on the hook?

Meanwhile, our so-called leaders act like children. Peter Ladner says he forgot his secret "don't tell the taxpayers" document in the meeting room, and someone put it in someone else room. Is this a kindergarden? These people want to be our leaders?

Meanwhile, not a peep from Judy Rogers who surely had a hand in all this being that she is also on the Board of Vancouver 2010.

Judy, can you spare $100 Million?

Taxpayers don't need to know, we just have to trust City Hall. Of course, Judy Rogers is not available for comment, she puts Jody Andrews out there on the firing line. No one knows for sure if the Director of Finance has resigned or not.  As it says in The Province " Rogers is on the Board of Directors of the Olympic Organizing committee and would be intimately familiar with any deal on the project"

I have stated in my own small case that there is a lack of transparency, accountability and communication in City Hall. We are now seeing this on a much larger scale.

Vancouver Taxpayers pay City Lawyers to fight them

Did you know that the Legal Department of the City of Vancouver has a budget of $4.5 Million, of which 90% is salaries and benefits? They have 7 litigators , 9 solicitors, 10 Legal Assistants, and about 12-13 others not including the Senior Managers. About 43 people total!!!!

So we the taxpayers, as in my case, pay to allow these people to fight us when we have an issue with a decision by they City that we feel is incorrect. Is that crazy? So, if a citizen has an issue with a $1000.00 claim from the city, given all these people and the above average salaries and benefits they would get, the costs to the taxpayers would spiral out of control very quickly. I am 100% positive that the costs in my case have probably been higher than 10 times as much as my claim.

Who reviews what this department does, and how they do it? Who makes sure that their budget is properly spent to the benefit of the Citizens of Vancouver? No one, it seems.

Elections, elections, elections, City Hall could care less

I am very happy to have the opportunity to vote in my riding as well as provincially and federally. However, these days, I have a very cynical feeling about votes that impact Vancouver.

It seems clear to me that no matter who gets into office, nothing changes at City Hall unless the unelected Judy Rogers wants it to. No citizen can expect a clear, fair, unbiased process when dealing with the City.

Here is a quote from someone I wrote to who is running for office of some kind in Vancouver.

"The power that lies with Judy Rogers in her ability to manage city affairs does require a re-examination as this is not the first I've heard of her adversarial and antagonist approach."

Who oversees the City Manager of Vancouver?

You know its interesting, the media and the taxpayers of Vancouver often talk about whether our Mayor is doing a good job or not. No one ever asks how the City Manager, Judy Rogers, who makes a lot more money than the mayor is doing. Who oversees her performance? Who reviews her actions? It seems to me that no one does and thats very dangerous.