Rick Green's Hidden Agenda?

Township Mayor Rick Green has been using a systematic program of disinformation since the campaign. The disinformation program uses uninformed political supporter pawns to write letters and post comments to the two local newspaper groups. The campaign's primary focus is continue fighting the election by hamming a false idea that Mayor Rick Green is a victim and that Council is just out to get him. Of course we all know the reality is that this is all a smokescreen.

The fact is, this rookie mayor has accomplished absolutely nothing. This is wholly attributable to his bully disposition and his inability to grasp the the essential issues that mayors who are true leaders can. One of the key principles is that once the election is over you lead as mayor by building consensus and serving the people. This is what YOU are elected to do Mayor Green. Green has done a piss poor job of this ability to stop fighting the election and getting on to business. This lack of leadership points to the impotence level being extremely high.

Our the past couple of weeks the Rick Green campaign of disinformation has been operating on overtime as these uniformed and blind Green followers have occupied space in the local newspapers and online once again. But this week in the latest campaign we see clearly some items that could be forming part of a hidden agenda for use by Green in the next election. It is no secret that Green is busy forming a slate and that he is paranoid that Cllrs. Jordan Bateman and Charlie Fox make take a shot at the mayor's seat in the next election. So, the latest letters seek to discredit Bateman and Fox. At the same time, they introduce some themes that appear to be part and parcel of Green's hidden agenda. We've gotten several calls about these issues and several people are of the same mind. Green has some tricks up his sleeve:

Green's Hidden Agenda # 1 - Cut the ToL Fire Department & ToL Staff
“Stop growing the bureaucracy and stop growing the fire department budget.” See link here

It's no secret that since elected, Green has placed significant pressure on the Township Fire Chief and other department heads to find ways to reduce their already slim budgets. Green through this bull fighting could care less about public safety, as long as he could take credit for what appears on the surface to be budget cutting. That is of course until an incident happens, then he will blame the department head. These letter writers should also know that some of the people they quote are City of Langley residents, not Township.

Green's Hidden Agenda # 2 - Allow Soil Deposits and Removals for Select Friends & Supporters

Green extremist Fred McNeil takes issue with Cllr. Charlie Fox for his record of strongly opposing gravel extraction and soil deposit works that could impact the water supply. See the post here. Fox was merely suggesting that the letter writer in question understand the issues more clearly, just as this fine letter writer and this one does. While McNeil, Green and others continue to rant over the Mufford Overpass, the fact remains that several ALR exclusion applications have come before Council and none of these "farm saviours" have attended any of the meetings. Does McNeil's letter open a door for Green to start considering soil deposits and removals now?

Green's Hidden Agenda # 3 - Attack Councillors Jordan Bateman and Charlie Fox
Relentlessly

In additional to Fred McNeil's venom against Cllr. Fox in the above section, McNeil was busy crafting this comment online against Cllr. Jordan Bateman. The Green Disinformation Committee has met and Fred McNeil must have been elected Chair. Congrats Fred on your total misunderstanding of the facts regarding the issues of this Township. Stay at home and listen to Rick Green smokescreens and you will be fine. Keep up the attacks on Bateman and Fox because as you know, your buddy the mayor is going to have one hell of a road to hoe in the next election, as he comes empty handed to the debate table with NOTHING accomplished for the good of the Township. All because he continues to fight the last election and almost every councillor that was elected with him.

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?