The news behind the news. Exploring the political issues, debates and voting records in the Township of Langley and sometimes beyond.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Mayor Green Hires Olympic Village Bureaucrat

The Langley Record's Exclusive Expose'

Recently rookie Mayor Rick Green announced in the newspaper (and our blog) that he had hired on a consultant for the Township of Langley to investigate the possibility of establishing a real estate trust and examine the viability of such a plan during this economic downturn.

This hiring did not require council approval or pre-knowledge, and therefore was not made public until the newspaper announcement by Mayor Green.

Most municipalities in greater Vancouver are being very cautious with their real estate dealings and development after the City of Vancouver announced that the ongoing development of the Olympic Village Project, interchangeably referred to as “Southeast False Creek project” recently ran into funding issues that could cost Vancouver taxpayers over a BILLION dollars to bail out, should other funding sources not materialize.

However Mayor Green announced that the Township has hired Mr. Bruce Maitland, “…co-parent of the city’s Southeast False Creek project” (as the Vancouver Sun called him here) as a paid consultant to the Township. You can see from there articles here, here and here that Mr. Maitland was a key stakeholder in Vancouver’s now-troubled Olympic Village project.

The taxpayers of Langley must, in the interest of the principles of openness, transparency, accountability and full disclosure, be informed that Mayor Green’s election team broadcast e-mailed this Endorsement Letter written by new Township consultant Bruce Maitland, to many businesspeople and residents of the Township of Langley, ahead of the November 2008 election. In fact that endorsement was the first any member of the Editorial Board had heard of Mr. Maitland who lives in Willoughby and we think has been given the job of making big bucks off Langley’s land portfolio to pay for the Mayor’s poorly planned 0% tax freeze.

We say think because it seems very unclear to Township Council and the taxpayers as to just how much this consultant will cost the taxpayers and what the EXACT outcome or deliverables Mayor Green plans for us to get from this spending. Councillor Mel Kositsky recently tried to nail down the exact cost of this consulting engagement to the taxpayers at a Council meeting, but the mayor remained very tight-lipped about the details of this contract. So much for openness and transparency.

The only response from Township Hall has been that as this consulting contract was for 20-40 hours of time, therefore no prior council discussion or vote was required. We know Mayor Raging Bull loves to swing the power of his office around kind of like Sam Sullivan used to do in Vancouver. He has done so again by announcing the Maitland contract. Councillor Kositsky, a longtime advocate of proper public process, again tried to query just how much this 20-40 hours is costing us, to which there was no official or public response from Mayor Green.

Mayor Raging Bull, upset by the questions, in fact replied by listing Mr. Maitland’s credentials which sounded good on the surface. Interesting the supposedly transparent Mayor neglected to mention the Olympic Village deal or Mr. Maitland’s election endorsement.

Mr. Maitland is beside the point here. He may be an excellent bureaucrat and he may be the best in his field. We will never have that confidence because we have a rookie mayor who promised transparency and has been showing anything but. His finance committee is stocked with his friends and insiders. He has now overseen and announced the hiring of a consultant who endorsed him in the last election. This is not good government or good business for that matter.

For the loyal blog readers out there, you will note that it is not very often that the Langley Record’s Editorial Board agrees with blog regular posters “Willy Nilly” and “Horny Toad”. But in this instance we must agree with these two that the Township of Langley must exercise an abundance of caution with regards to real estate deals within the Township. Some recent blog posts from these two prolific commentators:

“Regardless of whether the economy went in the dumper or not the MAIN reason for the Olympic village fiasco is due to BAD BUSINESS PRACTICES. Its like putting all your money in the stock market and blaming the market when you loose. It was a gamble and the City of Vancouver lost. Good article in the Sun the other day on WHY cities should stick to what they are supposed to do and stay away from property development. There is a reason WHY property developers make a lot of money (usually) and that is because they know what they are doing.
Good lesson to all cities.”

Horny Toad | 01.16.09 - 5:44 pm


"they will sell for good money after the winter Olympics, and Vancouver (and the Province) will recover the investment costs".

“I see you're into clairvoyance now Boomer. I hope you're right, but unfortunately NOBODY knows and if they say things, as you did, it only means hopeful wishing. There is NO basis for your conclusion. I have been following most of the senior economists and they have differing opinions, and admit to not knowing. So, I wonder how you're able to predict that.

The US thought their real estate had to have hit the bottom 6 months ago, well, guess what, its still falling and they predict the worst is yet to come. Heck, if we can go down South and buy luxury condo's, townhouses, homes, for $100.000.00 in areas where there is no winter, why would anyone buy our condos?
We have major competition now in the Real Estate market, and our biggest buyers were from the US and Asia. Well, the US is not buying now and I have just learned that prices are falling in China, so that is probably going to be lost as well.”

willynilly | 01.16.09 - 10:15 pm


The Langley Record Editorial Board Comments:

Horny Toad believes the City of Vancouver exercised “bad business practices” with their Olympic Village/Southeast False Creek land deal. He believes land deals like this are a “gamble” with taxpayer’s assets at best and “the City of Vancouver lost.”

Willy Nilly opines this Olympic Village/Southeast False Creek land deal was nothing more than “hopeful wishing” and that real estate prices are still going to hell in a hand basket each and every day and the experts “predict the worse is yet to come” as Willy Nilly points out.

What will Green apologists such as Horny Toad and Willy Nilly say now? One of the “co-parents” of this Vancouver Mega Project gone sour, has been given the deed to Langley’s landbase by their Mayor Green.

Time for the rookie Mayor to come clean with the voters. We trust that the next Mayor’s Report will include the full details, terms of reference and costs of this consulting engagement and that he will come clean with his credentials and the fact he endorsed the Mayor. The local papers should also look through their parent company’s archives and report this matter. Our transparent Mayor must be held to account on this issue.

Other Related Reference Articles to Vancouver's Current Olympic Village Crisis:

Olyblog
OlyBlog
UPI
Vancouver Sun
Globe and Mail
Boston.com
Washington Post
Bloomberg

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can you imagine if Kurt Alberts or John Sholtens did this? There would be rioting in the streets.

Anonymous said...

You have to love this new 'rookie' mayor and his interpretation of slate politics and transperancy. What a wash in hypocracy this man is and it will be only a matter of time until the residents get, and understand, the real skinny on him. Recent letters to the ditor extolling his virtues byu the same old writers like Harvey Schultz exude ignorance and lack of knowledge of the 'real Rick Green' a bully and pompous mayor who makes Sam Sullivan look like a genius.
I hope someone on Council asks the question or makes a motion to deny any contractual payments to this man without a full accounting of the costs. Mayor Green is spending money and patronizing his election supports like no other in past histroy and THE TOWNSHIP WILL PAY FOR THIS HYPOCRACY FOR YEARS TO COME.

Anonymous said...

Now I am wondering what the real agenda is from the Mayor?

Interesting twist?

Anonymous said...

It will interesting to see if the local newspapers pick this up.

Anonymous said...

This news is very troubling.

Anonymous said...

I voted for Mayor Green because he had convinced me that there were questionable land deals going on in the township. I've since learned that there wasn't anything too questionable about the deals and that it was very possibly just a campaign ploy. Now the mayor is hiring pals on our dime and stacking the committees with people that will nod their heads to him? Is this what his promises of open government are all about? And why haven't the local "newspapers" that stack my doorstep with worthless paper reporting on this fiasco. You bet that Mayor Green must come clean NOW. Thank God for the Langley Record. Stay on these people that abuse us taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

Is there a way to recall this guy? He is not what he seems.

Anonymous said...

We don't believe there is a mechanism within the Community Charter that allows for a recall. Looks like the provincial government wants us voters to have our rights "contained".

Anonymous said...

I think Mayor Green wants to introduce his style, leadership and decision making process in the Township. While I think, he has good intentions, his method leaves him open to criticism.
I'll wait and see what else he's got up his sleeve.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:11 That is too casual an attitude for a mistake of this size. This Mayor's style is that he is a bully.

Anonymous said...

First of all, lets look at your statement and , just for fun, lets interchange a few words and see what we get.

"after the Township of Langley (City of Vancouver) announced that the ongoing development of the Langley Events Center ( Olympic Village Project), interchangeably referred to as "Jordan Bateman Center" (“Southeast False Creek project”) recently ran into funding issues that could cost Township of Langley (Vancouver) taxpayers over 5 MILLION dollars (a BILLION dollars) to bail out, should other funding sources not materialize.

Does that sound familiar to anyone....?

Secondly
"Mr. Maitland who lives in Willoughby and we think has been given the job of making big bucks off Langley’s land portfolio to pay for the Mayor’s poorly planned 0% tax freeze."

I would suggest that 20-40 hours isn't going to buy much.I'm sure he will do a study of the TOL's property and advise Green, and council, what their options are. Of course I'm sure, in order to maximize your smear tactics, you will suggest that Mr. Maitland has been given the authority to buy, sell, trade, develop, give away (opps, sorry that was the last council that gave away) all on his own without going to council.

I think that this statement by Green is probably the most important statement of all.
"“The only body that will approve (the advisory committee’s recommendations) is council,” said Green."

Of course there is alway this "Green said other members of council are also welcome to sit in on the advisory committee sessions"

But I suppose your buddie(s) on council aren't interested in that. That might require some effort on their part.

Then you wrote;
"The taxpayers of Langley must, in the interest of the principles of openness, transparency, accountability and full disclosure, be informed that Mayor Green’s election team broadcast e-mailed this Endorsement Letter written by new Township consultant Bruce Maitland, to many businesspeople and residents of the Township of Langley, ahead of the November 2008 election."

So basically, by broadcasting this announcement Green WAS open and transparent. In case you are not aware, keeping something secret requires you do not tell anyone.

"Councillor Kositsky, a longtime advocate of proper public process,"

Its interesting that you insinuate that Green isn't following public process yet Kosinski said last week that it was the mayors "right" to be able to set up these committees.

"We will never have that confidence because we have a rookie mayor who promised transparency and has been showing anything but."

The mayor made his announcement to the newspaper. You can't get much more transparent than that.

As for referring to Sam Sullivan, nows thats really a low blow. Anyone, even the Langley Record editor, is better that Sam Sullivan.

"What will Green apologists such as Horny Toad and Willy Nilly say now"

Well, what I will say now is that it is nice to see a politician think outside the box in an effort to look at all the possiblities and options to reduce our taxes rather than looking for areas where they can spend more taxpayers money in an effort to enhance their legacy (and further thir political aspirations in the case of Mr. Bateman).
Green may or may not be able to do this. If he can we will all benefit. If he can't we will all know and then it will be time to make a judgement on him as it relates to that promise.

One thing that you constantly fail to mention here is that no matter what Mr. Maitland, or the other committees (whether set up by Green or council) come up with they can do nothing on their own. They can make their recommendations to council who then act on those reccommendations one way or another. Green may be spending a little money in an attempt to leave no stone unturned to look for creative ways to mimimize our taxs.

I say good for him (and us).

And one last thing.

"Can you imagine if Kurt Alberts or John Sholtens did this"

Alberts would have NEVER done this becuase he didn't have time-he was too busy looking for new ways to spend our hard earned tax money.

But keep up the smear campaign.

Horny Toad

Anonymous said...

Oh, one more thing.

Just read the article in Thursday's Province (you can get to it here http://digital.nationalpost.com/epaper/viewer.aspx) about our mayor and it kind of lays the blame where it belongs don't you think.

Good article though.

Anonymous said...

Hey Horny where is your love for Green now?

How do you defend this blunder?

Anonymous said...

Interesting that Horny Toad would refer to this as a "smear campaign" and interchange the Langley Events Centre with the Olympic Village for his own devices. The Events Centre was planned with proper contingency funds in place and the Olympic Village was not. You are therefore comparing apples to watermelons.

While the mayor may have certain rights to do various things, the TOL has had a string of mayors that have consulted with council and disclosed costs prior to decisions of this type being made. Also, when one clearly has less than arms length from the bureaucrat being hired on the taxpayer's dime, wouldn't it be better left to staff to do the contracting, just as they do with everything else? And why not contract with Art Philips, the architect of this land trust? Why wouldn't he be equally, if not more qualified than this candidate? Also, Philips wasn't involved with this Olympic Village fiasco. Or why wouldn't TOL staff simply interact with the current manager of the Vancouver Land Trust and his staff and we simply pay staff time that we would pay anyway and save the consulting fees? This process is followed on many other projects.

Yet another case of Horny Toad's double standards. Rose coloured glasses are now green coloured glasses for HT and the love fest group. HOw can you not see a conflict here after all your musings HT? This is yet another clear case of this mayor taking care of friends, those that endorsed him, and other insiders. Take off your GREEN coloured glasses HT!

Anonymous said...

Horny you missed one pience of the Sun Article of January 21st where it says; (quoting from Bayne's report making a case for the City to be the lead role) "The city could take a stronger role in the Village Project and reduce the risks with financing". So lets do what you did and change a few words; "The Township could take a stronger role in the Events Centre Project and reduce the risks with financing". That is EXACTLY what the Township did! Maybe the City of Vancouver could take a lesson from the good old Township here. There are NO risks to the taxpayer in Langley, it was all in the contingency to start with as I understand the deal. Editor am I right?

Anonymous said...

Yes sir, it is correct that there was in fact a contingency and therefore not a complicated matter to use that to complete the project to standards set. Mayor Green did not have to be any superhero to find the funds because former mayor and council had already provisioned a contingency. But Mayor Green decided to play dirty politics and bring the issue out of council and into the press in a failed attempt to smear certain members of council.

The public displays also weakened Green and Richter's standing very considerably with the Langley sports community who are still keeping a very watchful eye on these two.

We think that each time Mayor Green takes items out of council and into the media spotlight he will do so to his peril.

Anonymous said...

First of all, my understanding was that the so called "contingency fund" was not a contingency fund at all but a fund the TOL has established over the years for emergency situations.

And secondly your statement:


"And why not contract with Art Philips, the architect of this land trust? Why wouldn't he be equally, if not more qualified than this candidate"

reminds me of callers to late night sports programs who say idiotic things like "why don't the Canucks trade with Pittsburgh Penguins to get Sidney Crosby".

I'm sure he's qualified but I don't suppose it ever occurred to you that Art Phillips MIGHT not be interested. For all you know Green might have contacted Art Phillips or any other qualified person. I don't know if he did and I'm sure you don't know.

For the TOL to go ahead with the LEC without have all the financing in place is, in my opinion,a bad business practice. You can argue all you like with my opinion but the facts are that the TOL didn't have all the financing in place and they were HOPING the feds would come through with 5 million by dropping subtle hints instead of FORMALLY making an application. And so our share has gone from 1/3 at 15 million to 44% at 22 million.

Horny Toad

Anonymous said...

The rookie mayor just can't let this LEC go, despite significant support from the community and opposition from the very small love fest group. HT's comments are only more proof that they just can't let it go.

With regards to Art Philips, et al, the TOL taxpayers will never know who we could have got and what their qualifications may be, because the usual procurement process was short-circuited in this purchase of services. If Green had approached anyone else, we are certain he would have said so in council when questioned. Again, another blow to accountability and transparency which you hold so dear HT. Your green coloured glasses are once again blinding your vision and you just can't get past the blind support, regardless of what decisions the rookie mayor makes to our collective harm.

Anonymous said...

Horny loves defending Green but has yet to ask Green the tough questions?

How do you know that Green asked Art Phillips?

How do you know that the contingency fund was only to be used for emergency? People accrued funds in the event of and the LEC was in the event of?

You have no answers yourself, you are just a speculator. What the Langley Record has is facts. You have none.

Green needs to answer these questions, otherwise he is not transparent.

Anonymous said...

'How do you know that Green asked Art Phillips?"

I don't. And neither do you. And despite what the editor here says he doesn't know either because, contrary to what he would like us to beleive he can't read Green's mind.

"How do you know that the contingency fund was only to be used for emergency?"

If you paid attention you would have seen it in the paper.

"If Green had approached anyone else, we are certain he would have said so in council when questioned."

You'r certain? Wow, you must really know this man very intimately to know what he thinks.

I don't know how you operate (but I'm starting to get a good feel for it) but if I want to hire someone for a job I first feel them out with a phone call so that I don't go through all the rigamaroll and effort if its a non starter. Only then ,do I go through a more formal process.

You said:
"despite significant support from the community and opposition from the very small love fest"

I do agree that there is a lot of support for the LEC from the community. I support it myself. But from the many people that I have talked to they are concerned AND upset at the financial chaos. In fact I'm quite surprised at the level of interest there is in this.Much more than I have seen in any other issue(including the Water Well issue from last year) Perhaps its because it has got so much attention in the local and Vancouver press. And of course,because of the Olympic Village issue there is heightened awareness of municipal government missmanagement in general not to mention the publicity TOL received due to our ranking in the property tax issue.

" You have no answers yourself, you are just a speculator. What the Langley Record has is facts. You have none"

Au contraire. The facts are there for everyone to see.

So keep beating the drum and preaching to the choir here. If nothing else it should make you feel good.



Horny Toad

Anonymous said...

No Horny,

You seem to be the only one to read Green's mind.

The editor brings out valid concerns yet you become so defensive when someone questions your "GUY".

You have all the answers....which leads me to believe that you know a lot more about Green which tells me you are an insider.

Fair enough, at least admit it. It is all coming quite clear.

Anonymous said...

Horny For Mayor

I've talked to 10 people about the LEC, all are concerned about how the Mayor and Richter handled the LEC issue.

Everyone I spoke to believes that the P3 concern the Mayor brought up was a big smokescreen. Blame the previous government for the issues of the past. The Socreds were Pros at it.

Keep pounding out the propoganda Horny, it makes for a good laugh.

Anonymous said...

I was just coming here to say that something is fishy here as on several blogs Horny Toad has professed to have never met Green, but voted for him. So if Horny has never met Green or spoken with him then how could he tell everyone else on this blog that they are wrong about Green? And most especially, how can he attack the Langley Record Editor and tell them they are wrong, when they allow him this platform (without editing of his comments like another editor does all the time)?

It looks like Horny Toad has been found out. He was a closet Rick Green Love Fest member, but now he has been outed. Time to fess up HT!

Anonymous said...

Well, actually Crystal, you can believe whatever you like. I'm sure, like myself, there are thousands of TOL taxpayers who have not met Green but voted for him. The fact that he beat Alberts attests to that. In fact I've only ever met two of the TOL councillors-Richter at the Water open house and Ferguson at a school function. All the info I get is from the various media outlets and these blogs. The info is available to anyone who is interested enough to read it. As for being on this blog unedited, it appears to me as though this blog will let anyone say almost anything as long as it is reasonably civil ,not profanity and not libelous. As for the Langley free press, the last few posts I have made there are also unedited.


"The editor brings out valid concerns yet you become so defensive when someone questions your "GUY"."

Truth be told, the editors of this blog are so "over the top" in their cfriticism of Green and their "childish" nicknames i.e. Raging Bull" that I just decided to counter their accusations, where applicable, with factual statements showing where they are wrong or exagerating their facts so as to smear Green. (example-this blog initially said that during the snow debate Richter blamed TOL staff when in actual fact a VIDEO showed that Richter put the blame solely on the TOL policies-policies that she, and the rest of the council were responsible for. When I pointed this out to this blog editor they corrected the fallacy but still continued to pillory Richter)

And the main reason most of my attention is centered on Green is because he is the constant object of this blog's attention. In fact, since I've started reading this blog I don't think Ive EVER read anything about any other councillor/mayor with the exception of Green, Richter and Bateman with Richter/Green=bad and Bateman=good.

So there you have it. Oh, and I also like Green because he is going to lower my(and your) taxes.

I'm sure your not against that, are you?

Horny Toad

Anonymous said...

HT: The Langley Record Editor never said that Richter blamed staff for the snow removal problems. He said that while the mayor and other councillors credited staff for putting aside their families during the holidays to deal with these unusual storms, Coun. Richter started by pointing to policy, but then her comments could be equated to nothing more than great criticism onto the staff. You neglect the fact that Coun. Richter (like the rest of council and mayor) received a briefing in council and given by public works staff on the snow removal plan with maps and details. This same plan was published in the local newspapers along with the map. At no time did Coun. Richter or anyone else offer any criticism of the policy or plans. I have checked to make certain. In fact, at that council presentation Mayor Green commented that he and his family thought for a rural area his neighbourhood received excellent snow removal services from the TOL. You can check the minutes or order the audio recording of that December, 2008 council meeting. You can also access the minutes on the TOL website (as I also did), and read it yourself. There were NO objections to policy.

I know many of the editorial board of this blog and they clearly stated when they started this blog that Mayor Green made many promises during the campaign and they intended to hold his feet to the fire. As Richter is part of his slate and the other blog provides one side of the story, these guys are doing a great job of providing the other half. Why aren't you critical of them for never giving Fox, Bateman, Ward and others credit for the good things that they do? The editor here is right in that you have a distinct double standard HT.

I also don't believe that anyone could read only the press and blogs and defend the mayor and slate councillor soo much without inside knowledge. This blog has people monitoring meetings and they actually have assembled a 2+ year record and history of who has done what in council, in the press and elsewhere in public.

I have spoken to staff in the past and they pointed out that budget cuts during the Sholtens administration only deferred what was needed to be done. Things like official community plans,upgrades to the roads network and many other things within the TOL suffered major deterioration so that the mayor of the time could look good. I was told that after some 9+ years later, the TOL is still playing catch-up in many areas of operations because of those cuts.

It appears to me that you and a few others are willing to let the TOL go to hell in a hand basket if you can save $60 per year. You fail to understand that there is no massive fat in our municipal budget (the finance committee witch hunt is learning that now). So that means in order to maintain 0-0-0, this rookie mayor must put off projects that are needed and desires by the majority of TOL residents.

You will see these folks come out in mass if this rookie mayor cuts important projects in order to deliver his ill-conceived promises based on a fantasy fat-in-budget and cooked books. It will be to his peril for certain, watch and see.

Anonymous said...

John P.

"I also don't believe that anyone could read only the press and blogs and defend the mayor and slate councillor soo much without inside knowledge."

Wow, I'm flattered that you think I have inside knowledge. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I don't have any better sources that you do. All you have to do is READ them.

"You fail to understand that there is no massive fat in our municipal budget (the finance committee witch hunt is learning that now)"

Well, if that is correct I guess we will find out soon enough.

"HT: The Langley Record Editor never said that Richter blamed staff for the snow removal problems. He said that while the mayor and other councilors credited staff for putting aside their families during the holidays to deal with these unusual storms, Coun. Richter started by pointing to policy, but then her comments could be equated to nothing more than great criticism onto the staff. You neglect the fact that Coun. Richter (like the rest of council and mayor) rec At no time did Coun. Richter or anyone else offer any criticism of the policy or plans recieived a briefing in council and given by public works staff on the snow removal plan with maps and details. This same plan was published in the local newspapers along with the map I have checked to make certain. In fact, at that council presentation Mayor Green commented that he and his family thought for a rural area his neighborhood received excellent snow removal services from the TOL. You can check the minutes or order the audio recording of that December, 2008 council meeting. You can also access the minutes on the TOL website (as I also did), and read it yourself. There were NO objections to policy."


John P.
This is a “perfect" example of why I criticize this blog.. In the first sentence you wrote that “the Langley Record editor never said Richter blamed staff for snow removal problems “ yet in the very next sentence you state “Coun. Richter started by pointing to policy, but then her comments could be equated to nothing more than great criticism onto the staff “. If you even took the time to watch the video on u-tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iA_T9GXgOs&eurl=http://kimrichter.com/Blog/langleyfreepress.html ) you would clearly see how wrong you (and the Langley Editor ) is. She said the poor service is not a reflection on staff but rather on policy. She then goes on to praise certain staff such as policemen who helped firemen etc.

“At no time did Coun. Richter or anyone else offer any criticism of the policy or plans”

Of course there was no criticism of the plan. It was a month before the January 20th council meeting and they had no way of knowing beforehand whether the plan was adequate or not. As for Green stating that he though they got excellent services in his area, if you read the comments on blogs and in the newspapers some people felt the service was good and some not so good depending on where they lived. In my case had we not had 4 wheel drive we would not have made it down our street for 2 week. My daughter does not have 4wd and her car sat in her driveway for almost 3 weeks due to the snow.

Next time you might want to get your facts straight BEFORE you comment.

Horny Toad

Anonymous said...

Just curious...

How much is this journey to "Fantasy Island" (aka: A witch-hunt seeking unfounded claims of Fat-in-the-Budget and Cooked-Books) costing taxpayers in staff time, money and spiritual erosion?

Staff must be spending inordinate amounts of time defending their integrity and proving their innocence.

When will they be freed to move onto the real work that MUST be piling up?

It's almost February!

Anonymous said...

Excellent point. I hear through the garpe-vine that staff moral is at an all-time low, the work expectation is through the roof dealing with request after request and basicly work is at a stand still as they try to answer this guys questions, figure out what he wants and deal with his antics of undoing the decisions of the past. Get real Green and move the agenda forward or are you waiting for advice from Richter. This whole thing makes one puke and you realize how it is costing the taxpayer significantly in lost time and low moral.....me thinks!

Anonymous said...

Well, if my new boss (new to the organization and new to me) poked his head into my office, called me a liar & a thief, asked me to help find & expose non-existent evidence, and proceeded to imply (and announce) these unfounded claims to the papers and TV, I would not be sticking around long.

How much do exit interviews cost?

How much does it cost to interview & train new employees?

I'm seeing alot of "Come work at the Township" ads at bus stops. How much do these cost?

I bet if we treated those doing the work with value & respect, we'd have one H*^% of an operation.

The townSHIP could be "The Love Boat" with just a bit of collaboration and trust.

Move on.

Sincerely,
Tatoo.