LETTER – Public has right to know what switch to CSOs cost
Dear Armchair Mayor,
You’ve been Mayor and understand “public money”. What exactly did we buy for $?,???,???.?? with the change from Bylaw Services to Community Services? Did we buy something worthwhile?
In the world of jobs, family, housing, fixed incomes, accountability to a boss and your company are things done a little differently than in the circle of government? Can so-called “secular thinking” be applied to such a thing as the changeover from Bylaw Services to Community Services?
Personally, I believe with public money involved, the public has a right to know how much was spent on this transition. We deserve to know why it was done and that the reasons were worth what it cost us. The person responsible for costing the taxpayers this “undisclosed amount” should be held accountable. In just about every other employment situation, he or she would be.
Can I blame the existing Mayor for wanting to treat it this way? Not really. In private industry there is accountability.
Do I personally feel any safer now that we have Community Services Officers? I see a fair bit of engagement with the backdrop being shopping carts full of stuff. Maybe that’s oversimplifying things but I’m pretty sure some of the experienced, existing staff members could have handled those assignments.
Considering it a kind of civic duty to report a dog attack (our dog being the loser in a face-to-nose encounter with a Boston Terrier) I did file a report. As time went by, the head dog catcher mentioned that sometimes people don’t see their expectations met in these types of things.
I’m still a bit confused as to why he would put things in those terms. About all I was able to say was that it was too late for our dog. The head dog catcher is playing a new role so I’ll cut him a bit of slack on this one.
Personally, I think we got a poor deal, as taxpayers, for the change to Community Services. We’ll eventually see the real cost reflected as a tax increase. The actual value, in my mind, is no real value at all.
JOHN NOAKES,
Citizen of Westmount
ArmchairMayor.ca 
The long and bumpy road from Bylaws to CSO was hardly worth it. It was and still is one of the most dysfunctional City’s departments. Then, after the arbitrator ruled against McCorkell/Trawin ill-conceived scheme CUPE entered contract negotiations with a huge advantage. Without breaking a sweat the unionized workforce got 12% over two years. I challenge anyone to do a bit of math and to therefore realize how much that is worth. Be prepared for another hefty tax increase next year and beyond. The new unconventional mayor is quite right in wanting to get rid of our biggest collective liability. The public has the right to know and the leadership of the city has the duty to provide fairness, transparency, accountability. But the leadership of this city has for years not been fair, transparent and accountable despite all the campaign promises.
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Campaign promises mean nothing if councillors hand their power to city administration as soon as they’re elected.
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Not only hand it over, but actively defend administrators who have a track record of severe failures leading to enormous costs for taxpayers.
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We live in the Kingdom of Byron McCorkle. The peasants don’t need to know how the King spends their gold.
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I’m in total agreement. I see the city as run by managers, appointed by me, the taxpayer and owner of the business and there needs to be fiscal accountability. As for Community Services, I am a bit disappointed. I either see their trucks with carts full of “stuff” or I see them parked, working away on the computer.
If we needed another force to clean up the encampments and such, why not hire folks to do only that and leave the ones we had, looking after bylaw infractions. Council makes all these rules to follow but don’t have the manpower to enforce them. I have a neighbor that flaunts the watering bylaw but there is no sense calling it in because our bylaw folks are to busy dealing with street problems.
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