LETTER – Please, council, show us some substance instead of a to-do list
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
Coun. Hall’s letter is mind-boggling for at least two reasons. Firstly, he copied and pasted a to-do list, then again publicly humiliated the mayor. I sure hope the rest of Council know the difference between a to-do list and accomplishments, and don’t condone another case of public humiliation.
Rather than posting this list, it would have been more complex for Hall to inform us which Strategic Priorites have been met since Council adopted their Strategic Plan a year ago. Rather than publicly ridiculing the mayor , Hall could have reassured us how council is being fiscally responsible.
For example, how often does Council review the Financial Plan to ensure that their wish list of projects (including the amorphous Build Kamloops) are fiscally responsible?
I’m pretty sure Coun. Hall doesn’t know the total cost (not an estimate thrown out at a meeting), of long-term operational and environmental costs of an outdoor skating rink in one of the warmest cities in Canada during climate change.
Then there’s the total cost of the CSO debacle plus the additional cost of 24/7 private security both of which obviously cost a lot more than the previous Bylaw Officers, yet we’ve seen no evidence that this cost has made a difference for crime and homelessness, and no public disclosure of ‘all’ the financial costs.
There are no public posts on the City’s Facebook page or news releases about how Council has considered the ‘Total’ long-term costs of street issues, such as staffing, managers, directors, benefits, KFR, RCMP, private security, vehicles, cell phones, and on. No point in blaming senior governments when the City continues to build bureaucracy without clearly publicizing how they’ve made a difference and have advocated for the four pillars strategy, particularly ‘Treatment’.
At the beginning of Council’s term last year, there were several delegations from downtown businesses expressing hope that new councillors would make a difference for alleviating crime and destruction in the downtown core and elsewhere. The only thing I’ve seen is dysfunction and a councillor’s statement that grant recipients shouldn’t criticize the City if they want money. Can’t take that back as it’s probably not an original thought.
So, please, Coun. Hall, rather than posting a to-do list with no accomplishments, and trying to humiliate the mayor, give us some substance to show that you are fiscally responsible and taking the Strategic Plan and election promises seriously. Also, please tell us how the Build Kamloops project fits with your Strategic Plan and Financial Plan, as there seems to be no organized alignment among these plans.
The Braun report recommended that the mayor try to work with the rest of Council. How can a confrontational resolution at the outset asking the mayor to resign make room for any constructive discussion or relationship building in future?
I’m so sad for this state of affairs. It takes special skills, knowledge, and a diligent council to put the electorate first.
COLLEEN McCLEAN
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Well stated. We need more transparency at city hall, not veiled criticisms of those trying to create that.
My wish list for council to make public: Plan to recoup the $7million spent on buying and demolishing the Northbridge Hotel; Correspondence with the Privacy Commissioner regarding all the city hall info leaks; Reasons and logic behind refusing to support a review of local social service agencies; Logic behind building an outdoor rink in one of the city’s warmest and hardest to police areas; A definition of “crossing personal boundaries’; Logic behind using 2,4-D, picloram and glyphosate for cosmetic purposes in parks, playgrounds and other public areas throughout the city when cities like Vancouver, Prince George and Nanaimo use little or none.
And sorry, a list of strategic goals with none accomplished doesn’t suffice.
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I hope you send this letter to CFJC for publication on their website as well, Colleen.
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The level of effort Cloun. Hall put into the PR stunt is synonymous with the level of effort council puts in for the people.
Did you know that council got together and came up with this idea of using the phrase “this is a bold council”? They say it often, believing that if you say something enough times, it becomes true. It’s one of the tools in their PR toolkit. The back patting and self-affirmations are some other tools.
But we see through it easily. It’s going to take a lot more than pasting to-do lists to convince us otherwise. That kind of low effort is exactly why the incumbents need to go, so we can get some people in there willing to do the work, not tell us about the work.
When your elected council is comfortable with name calling and denigrating their peers in published articles, you only have to presume they should be comfortable with it when it comes back at them. That is the environment they cultivate.
More of your tax dollars will soon be spent on “securing” city hall chambers. That’s code for “making it harder for you to speak up to power”.
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This was a well said statement in response to an excellent letter. Both are poised, articulate, mature and informative, in fact all 4 responses thus far have been well done. Thank you for your contributions and particularly to this platform for publishing them.
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Thank you Mac. It was an excellent opinion piece and set the tone remarkably well. This platform is one of the few critical spaces left in the local media that’s for sure. The city has done all it can to prevent open input. Here, the airing of grievances is encouraged, and most of us keep it civil.
Clearly the readership is not swayed by token gestures or salesmanship (how ironic, as it’s been the clouncil coming off as a hack job used car salesperson, not the Mayor – even after being the butt of the salesman jokes).
I do reserve the right to refer to this group as Cloun., clouncil, clouncillor, clowncil, clowncillors, or any variation on that theme. Call it immature, but it fits.
🤡
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Yeah, but it comes pretty close to name calling.
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Legitimate question – is “Gang of Eight” name calling? It certainly confers an image on one and all, much like “clown” does. If it’s the “Gang of Eight”, that would make the individuals “gangsters”? It’s quite difficult to know where the line is, when it seems to move and apply in an arbitrary manner. Certainly there are worse things than being called a “Cloun”. If that’s unacceptable, it would be valuable to have a clear delineation and posted rules of what gets passed the Kommissar and what doesn’t. Particularly when the comments correspond to an article of an elected official disparaging another. Ultimately, we must submit ourselves to the will of the Kommissar of this site. We have no right to expression here. Only the expression that the Kommissar allows. Still, the proles ask only to understand where the goal posts are, if only to please the Kommissar.
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Is referring to the humble host of this blog as “Kommissar” derogatory? For guidance on what the Kommissar considers off-limits, I refer you to my stated policy on name calling and insulting langue: “ArmchairMayor.ca welcomes comments that are respectful and issues-oriented. Name-calling, derogatory language, unfounded accusations and foul language aren’t allowed.
Any comment that includes an insult — such as “idiot” or “moron” — will be deleted. Any use of derogatory language aimed at individuals or of unfounded accusations, or of foul language, will result in the entire comment being deleted. A repeat of comments that stray from opinions on issues and into personal insults or inappropriate language will result in the commenter being blocked.” As has been pointed out, I don’t always successfully meet the standard but it’s not for lack of trying.
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I recently talked to Mr. Hall while running errands in the downtown. He stubbornly maintained that CUPE workers got 12% raise over 4 years. It has been well documented in the media the new contract was for 2 years. He also stubbornly refused to acknowledge the fact that millions of dollars of public money spent on questionable “beautification” projects are spent with just one private sector provider without going to public tender. Just two examples of how little Mr. Hall seems to know. Mr. Hall tenure on council is indeed mind-boggling in my opinion.
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Thank you, Colleen McClean. You speak for so many others. Kelly Hall’s “release” may have been the tipping point for even more people to become more actively involved in saying “enough is enough”. Has he awakened those (say) 40, 50, 60, 70+ years of age who make up the numbers who go to the polls and vote?
Those of us who are retired sometimes have the time, resolve and skills to mount an effective way of dealing with bullies.
The video of that nice little lady (in council chambers on May 14th) who was wearing a purple sweater and carried a walking stick has inspired me. (She kind of reminded me of the “tank man” in Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989). All she wanted to do was thank the Mayor. She didn’t really pose much of an actual threat to anyone.
But, there she stood, toe to toe with a couple of CSOs. One was a husky, gum-smacking guy who served as the muscle at the scene. The other CSO, a female, did the actual talking and came across as a bit threatening as to what would happen to “a little old lady” who dared challenge her authority. And to think how lucky that lady dressed in a purple sweater was that the CSOs weren’t armed with pepper spray!!
Not only that, but as the acting CAO walked by, he dwarfed the little lady dressed in a purple sweater. She could have been tackled by him. Or, blocked at the line of scrimmage! A Director also walked by and he could have had the little lady dressed in a purple sweater towed away. She may have been seen as a clear and present danger to public safety.
Again, thanks Colleen for writing and Mel for publishing. And thanks to one little lady dressed in a purple sweater who reminded me of a man who inspired the world in 1989.
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I found it egregious that the CSO threatened an old lady with implied arrest by the RCMP. For what? Call the police then and see how that goes. Threatening an old lady who came out to participate in the democratic system is quite low. Bullies.
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Yes, Bill, I agree. It would require a bit of guessing who took the video but it could have been a “journalist” from one of the other media outlets. The vantage point and the on-line posting both seem to point to a particular individual who satisfies both criteria.
Little did the person know how such a video can backfire. If the intent was more “mayor bashing”, then it was a dismal failure. If the “journalist” was in my employ, she or he would have the opportunity to explain why it was taken and her or his intent for recording it AND posting it. She or he would have to have a very good reason to justify being kept as an employee.
What the video shows is a senior citizen, a woman, being bullied by a pair of poorly trained CSOs. What needs to happen is for this video to be posted on Global BC and BCTV.
Public opinion should play an important role in deciding the fate of the “journalist” and also, the new head of the CSO department for seemingly supporting the actions taken against a female senior citizen.
If this is the best he can provide for addressing public safety, he needs to offer the Mayor his resignation on Tuesday.
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