Doublespeak From Township Mayor

This week, Township Mayor Rick Green vowed to "fight" yet another battle...closing the Langley Centennial Museum. You can read about it here. As Council looked at a list of non-essential Township items that could be reduced from the budget, this item came. Mayor Green was not at this Council meeting on the budget, but did get his Council packet like everyone else. The staff report said in part:

Historically the museum was closed Mondays from Thanksgiving Monday to the first Monday in May through 2003. Monday openings in the off season were added in October 2003. The museum has been open Sundays from 1:00 - 5:00 pm since before 1987.

During the years when the museum was closed on Mondays two professional staff continued to work that day. If Council approves a Monday closure two professional staff will continue work on Mondays. Museum staff will be available to:

- oversee any Recreation Worker led registered Monday programs
- maintain Lochiel School commitments
- coordinate pick-up and drop-off for offsite self-guided tour options
- organize and plan for school programs scheduled from Tuesday to Friday
- do conservation or exhibit related work

The in-museum self guided program "Discovery Cupboards" would no longer be available on Mondays but would remain available on Fridays.

As noted in the Memo to Council dated February 2, 2010 closing on Mondays only would shift one regular part-time clerical position to other recreation facilities, reducing auxiliary hours at those facilities. Maintaining the current operating hours on a seasonal basis would require auxiliary staff to supplement the full-time clerical position during the defined summer season. Closing on Sundays and Mondays would shift both regular part-time clerical positions to other recreation facilities, reducing auxiliary hours at those facilities. Maintaining the current operating hours on a seasonal basis would require using auxiliary staff to supplement the full-time clerical position during the defined season. In both scenarios there is an allowance made to provide eight hours per week of auxiliary clerical support throughout the off-season."

-- Township Staff Memo--

Mayor Green ran on the promise of zero-based budgeting and spoke often and passionately about all the non-core services and waste he purported to be found within Township operations. He called for many "audits" and "reviews" to find areas to cut. His Finance Committee suggested withholding laptop computers and Blackberry devices to ToL staff and picking up your trash only once every two weeks. One could argue that garbage collection is a core service in a municipality, is it not?

So, now Mayor Green considered keeping a museum open off-season something similar to an essential service! You see, Mayor Green is doing what all politicians do...blab about cutting things until a group of citizens complain to you at the Mayor's Open House. At that meeting you can claim you was not present at the Township Council meeting where this matter was discussed and you can blame Council for the proposed cut, as Mayor Green told the crowd that Saturday.

The facts of low attendance during these off-season times be damned, as now the mayor will "fight" to keep this museum open. Who cares if attendance is low and staff can use the time to catch up on other duties? It's time to fight and put aside election promises of core services and cuts elsewhere. Who will stand with Mayor Green in this fight? Who are they fighting against?