IN OUR OPINION
Over the past few weeks are Editorial Board has been receiving information about various discussions and tactics Mayor Green has been employing in our community. You will recall that during the campaign season, candidate Rick Green was very busy holding meetings in the community to find issues to attach himself to. Once elected, he immediately attached himself to more things such as Fill Sites, the Hopington Aquifer, the 64th Avenue Overpass and more.
Since the election Township Council has allowed him to hold Mayor's Drop-In Forums as a courtesy. When first proposed by the mayor, some council members questioned the purpose of these forums. After reviewing some of the official Township recordings of those council meetings, we discovered that Cllr. Kim Richter specifically questioned the mayor as to how these meetings would be used, and if he (Mayor Green) intended to start addressing issues without council participation (paraphrase). The mayor responded that he wouldn't.
Since the Mayor's Forums began, we hear that many issues are being discussed, and solutions offered and all without council's awareness or consent. Although other requests for information are pending, we are finding that considerable Township resources are being tied up or used to research issues brought to Mayor Green. Many of these same issues coming from disgruntled community members have been addressed by staff in the past. Yet more resources are being wasted so that Mayor Green appears (to the public) to be "working on them". At a recent Drop-In Forum held in Willoughby it has been reported to us that the mayor was annoyed at the presence of three council members. Several sources tell us that the mayor raised his voice to some or all of the councillor and said publicly that this was HIS MEETING.
In another instance we were invited to meet with a Township resident that had some concerns with the mayor. In this meeting we were told that Mayor Green actually visited this resident personally to address Bylaw issue(s). The mayor failed to notify official Township Bylaw staff who had discussed the matter with the homeowner previously. The mayor appeared at the home and in a bullyish and rude manner. The mayor ordered the resident to cease certain activities.
Our elected officials in Canada are not elected to become self-appointed US-style Sheriffs that roam the county. Municipalities in Canada are civil and contract the RCMP, local police or Bylaw Officers to address matters related to the Criminal Code or Bylaw infractions. Just like an ordinary citizen that is overzealous, an elected official acting like this can ruin a criminal or Bylaw case. In a much similar Sheriff fashion, Mayor Green demanded in the past that the Langley RCMP notify him of any gang incidents so that he could appear at the crime scene with news cameras rolling to assure all Township residents that he was on the job and would see to it that these incidents wouldn't occur in our community.
Never in anyone's recent memories can long-term knowledgeable Township residents recall a mayor do the things that this man does. Behind-the-scenes meetings, consensus building bullying and other tactics are being used to the detriment of Township Council. Promises to residents concerned with a host of issues are being made personal promises by the mayor that he will single handedly resolve their issues. All of this is occurring for the most part without the knowledge or crescent of Township Council.
The Mayor's Report used to be a time in the council meeting where the mayor would report to council on what meetings or events that he or those acting in his stead, have participated in since the last meeting. Since taking office however, Mayor Green turned the docile Mayor's Report into at times a political spear hurled at council members, or to promote initiatives in his political agenda.
It is now common knowledge that several letters have been sent out from the Mayor's Office on letterhead that includes the names of ALL Council members. Yet as Cllrs. Fox and Richter pointed out recently, Mayor Green did not make council aware of these letters nor seek their consent to send them!
We also have the incident where Mayor Green attended the Township's Heritage Committee meeting. He did so to get them to add a Mayoral Chain of Office with their work plan so that he would have the jewels before the next election. At that time Cllrs. Bateman and Richter caught that line item in the committee's minutes and had the chain removed.
Shame on Mayor Green for using Township citizen committees, external boards and meetings sanctioned by the good graces of Township Council to further the mayor's re-election campaign. A campaign that he recently launched some 20+ months ahead of the next election.
In our opinion it is now time for Township Council to review the Mayor's Drop-In Forum and other activities and take some control. There are plenty of avenues for public input and participation that will at the same time, respect council and be inclusive. In our opinion these behind-the-scenes politicking excursions by Mayor Green are dangerously excluding council oversight.
