Login / RegisterDid you hear any guffaws when the mayor condemned attacks on city staff?
As I was reading Yolande Cole's article on the latest controversy at Vancouver City Hall, I stopped in my tracks over a comment by Mayor Gregor Robertson.
“In our code of conduct it’s very clear that...you have no right to attack city staff," Robertson told Green councillor Adriane Carr, "and I’ve been very concerned about your comments in recent days and again here regarding the city clerk and city manager and the work that they’re doing to support council.”
Hmmm...isn't this the same Vision Vancouver council that has overseen the greatest turnover in senior staff in living memory?
I guess that's not construed as an "attack on city staff" when people vote with their feet or they're fired and given fat settlements.
It started with the former city manager Judy Rogers.
On election night in 2008, Coun. Raymond Louie issued an assurance that Rogers's job was safe. Less than a month later, she was sent packing.
The two deputy city managers, James Ridge and Jody Andrews, later left. The general manager of Olympic operations, Dave Rudberg, quit before the Olympics even took place. The fire chief, Ray Holdgate, also resigned.
That's not all. The general manager overseeing the park system, Susan Mundick, quit. The chief librarian, Paul Whitney, resigned.
The official in charge of city freedom-of-information requests, Paul Hancock, quit. The head of engineering services, Tom Timm, quit. The chief electrician, Ark Tsisserev, was dismissed and then settled a pending legal case with the city. And Mike Zora, who was in charge of human resources, quit.
One of the highest profile dismissals involved Brent Toderian who, it must be emphasized, was not fired for cause.
More recently, deputy city manager Dave McLellan announced his retirement. Ken Bayne, general manager of business planning and services, announced his retirement near the end of 2011.
There's even a Twitter account @insiderDoug by a person purporting to be a "Long-time City of Vancouver Staffer without the freedom to say what he thinks with his real face, but who's worried about Vancouver City Hall".
But in spite of all of this, we can rest assured—thanks to the mayor's statement—that Vision Vancouver politicians don't attack senior city staff.
They just contribute to an environment that makes them want to run for the exit door.
"Deja Vu is a Bitch... that lives at City Hall!"
Thanks Charlie for this memento.
Duh! Vision Vancouver Civic cleansing is complete! Detox 100%. All Kosher… Who knew, eh?
4 (FOUR!) years ago I wrote this (updated since) on Frances Bula's blog:
................
glissando remmy // Mar 13, 2009 at 11:15 pm
The original piece, then called “10 Little Injuns”, was written by songwriter Septimus Winner in 1868 for a minstrel show and was much more elaborate.
“Ten Little Indians” is a modern children’s rhyme (sometimes “soldier boys” or “teddy bears” is used instead of Indians to avoid offense). The song, supra, is usually performed to the Irish folk tune “Michael Finnegan”.
The rhyme was notable for being the inspiration for Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None”.
The disturbing events of the past months made City Hall insiders to cry in amazement and obliged me to revisit this beautifully crafted poem.
I felt a civic obligation to bring it back to life in a new adapted form in sync with the dry suffocating wind that blows mercilessly from the City of Vancouver’s third floor.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please allow me the honor to introduce to you in premiere the new Vancouver adaptation...
“Ten Little Managers”
Ten Little Managers going out to dine
Estelle choked her little self and then there were
Nine
Nine Little Managers sat up very late
Judy overslept herself and then there were
Eight
Eight Little Managers travelling to Devon;
Jody got left behind and then there were
Seven
Seven Little Managers chopping up sticks
Dave chopped himself in half and then there were
Six
Six Little Managers playing with a hive
A bumblebee stung Ark and then there were
Five
Five Little managers going in for law
James, got into chancery and then there were
Four
Four Little Managers going out to sea
A red herring swallowed Tom and then there were
Three
Three Little Managers walking in the Zoo
A big bear hugged Brent and then there were
Two
Two Little Managers playing with a Taser gun
(Your name here) shot the other and then there was
One
One Little Manager looked at herself in the mirror
Then, Penny "apologetically" yelled wheezy…
We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy!
PS Note:
(To be framed and hanged in a noticeable place in every Senior Manager’s office for future reference and as reminder of the times they live in)
https://twitter.com/glissandore
You forgot to mention the head of Finance and Budgeting, Estelle Low who also left or was forced out by Vision. Now try to find out details on how the City spends your money - you get pretty graphs, but no real information.
I know people who work in other cities and municipalites who are very concerned about what is happening in Vancouver where Mayor and Council are working to politicize the civil service.
Used to be a separation between the politicians and employees that allowed staff reports to be free from bias. With all this turnover, and not even putting the City Manager job out for public competition just says Vision is seeking to blur this line. It makes the public begin to question the independence and accuracy of staff reports if they are all Vision lackeys.
I wonder what the conversation was between the Mayor, his handlers, and Ms. Rogers.
I suspect it went like this:
G: Vision plans good things for Vancouver, do you support us.
JR: I have always provided the information that Council needs and implemented the Bylaws Council passed.
G: Your fired.
Whistleblowers, it's time for Victoria to appoint a Commission to investigate Vision and the City of Vancouver. Before your job is gone, if you know of a wrongdoing you have a duty to report it to the Province.
Whistleblowers: before you go to Victoria, report it to me at m_dunphy@straight.com