Do You Remember?

Do you remember the old McDonald's hand puppets? It's been a long time since our Editorial Board has seen a Mayor McCheese puppet, so we thought we'd bring him back for you.

Next Monday, Township Council will meet. The 2010 Budget vote will be front and center before them. Mayor Green as you know ran on a platform that hinged greatly on generating more revenues and cutting taxes. We've seen neither! His tactic since winning was to join the whiners and blame Township Council for it all. He has missed two important 2010 budget meetings (the final two).

Councillor Kim Richter has never voted to approve a Township budget. Last year she did not attend the council meeting when the vote was taken. During the only Council Priorities Committee (CPC) meeting regarding the budget that Richter attended this year, she put forth a couple of possibilities (like water metering in the urban areas and no additional police officers) and then disappeared.

We aren't sure where Councillor Richter stands, but following staff's outline of legal requirements (for utility funds and such), ToL staff identified about $175,000 - $200,000 in possible discretionary cuts that Mayor Green or Councillor Richter could propose at next Monday's meeting. In our opinion this year Richter could gain some credibility by forgetting her annual protest budget vote and either approve the 2010 budget, or make motions to cut the items that staff identified.

As we mentioned before, Mayor Green has already vowed to "fight" a proposed closing (on the off-season) of the Langley Centennial Museum on Sundays and Mondays. This decision despite staff memos that make it clear the closing will have very minimal impact on the public and is in line with what other municipal area museums are doing. But hey, Green and the local rags never let the facts get in the way of a good BS story, eh?

Next Monday we will see if Cllr. Richter attends the budget meeting and takes some bold action of real substance. Will she propose and vote for cuts as she has suggested over the past few years at past budget meetings? Or will she decide to approve the budget? This will be a true test of her ability to lead. She has coveted the mayor seat in the past and now her leadership has to become evident. Money is the important issue for many people these days. You can't give them lip service the rest of the year. You have to show your true leadership capabilities where the rubber meets the road...finances and budgeting. You can't abdicate this responsibility. You must put forth SPECIFICS and you must put aside simplistic protest votes.

Now that Green has decided to approve spending, will he now vote to approve this budget? In 2009 Green voted against the budget with a big fat vague speech that told the intelligent electorate NOTHING. It did impress the "cling-ons" that agree blindly with everything the man says. But if you plan to spend, then you also must vote for the vehicle that allows the bills you approve of to be paid. Time for a man to be a man.

Will Mayor Green switch over to a Mayor McCheese mentality, or will stop "fighting" and try to work with the majority of Township Council that was elected with a larger mandate - more votes than Green?