We are soon approaching the “moment of truth,” — municipal election time.
This is the time when incumbents on council, if running again, get their final grade. If you were happy with how council members performed in the past four years, by all means re-elect them. If not, give serious consideration to the qualifications of new candidates. This is more difficult to assess for newcomers as verifiable results are only apparent after time on the job. As we have seen in the past, talk is cheap.
When selecting who to vote for in the upcoming election, the following are some of the attributes that I will be looking for:
This person priorities are aligned with those of the residents. The past council’s priorities were aligned primarily with the business lobby. To bring about tax equity, the tax multiplier should be brought in line with the provincial average, and the current tax incentives for select businesses discontinued.
Someone who has integrity.
Someone who will not just accept proposals that are put before them by staff, but will analyze the data supporting the recommendation, come to their own conclusion on what should be done, and vote accordingly. This entails having the necessary analytical skills and taking the time to assess the various proposals put forth.
Someone who will listen to input from all groups prior to making a decision. Remember the costly Skaha Lake fiasco, and the casino’s relocation to the South Okanagan Events Centre site. Either no input allowed in one case or strong objections by the majority ignored in the other.
Transparency is also important.
No more non-disclosure agreements to hide the actual cost, what had occurred in the electrical billing fiasco where the level of incompetence displayed was unbelievable.
In that particular instance which resulted in a potential loss to the taxpayer in excess of $600,000, I don’t feel that the mayor’s explanation of “it fell through the cracks” was in any way adequate.
If the actual loss was of a much more minimal nature, let city hall announce the amount publicly.
Someone who believes in accountability. No more explaining a costly error as, “another lesson learned,” while repeating those errors over and over (see above item).
Someone who will spend taxpayer dollars as if they were their own. Would you sue a union for winning an arbitration case against you?
This was the case with the firefighters. Or would you sue a non-agressive panhandler who has no assets?
Last but not least, someone who has common sense, an attribute that has been seriously lacking of late in city hall.
Claude Bergman, Penticton