If elected as mayor I would bring the following mandate to Tofino:
o- There shall be an open communication between council and the electorate. There shall be a monthly newsletter provided to the media and published on the website outlining progress, plans, challenges faced, and so forth.
o- Council meetings shall be held in open council subject to the scrutiny of the electorate, save where prohibited by legislation. Closed meetings shall become the exception rather than the norm. We would revert to the 3 L's (labor, legal & land) exclusively in-camera.
o- I shall strive to make decisions based on good economic common sense. There shall not be deferral to so called experts except when the skills do not exist in the community. I do not believe in OPM (other peoples money) and will strive to spend taxpayers money as frugally as possible.
o- I have no hidden agenda, and no further political aspirations, I simply want to improve the village I live in, and live within our means. I want Tofino off of the list of most spendful municipalities, we are currently in 23rd place in B.C. This is not where we should be.
o- I will volunteer my time if elected, and shall not accept any regular wages for being mayor or sitting on committees. This shall not be volunteering as done by Bob Long at the Olympics. My wages can go directly to fixing infrastructure, potholes, firehall etc.
o- I would strive to enable a portfolio system whereby each councilor would be responsible for a certain aspect of the district i.e. Water, Sewer, Parks and Rec etc.
o- I would eliminate the hourglass that we have been suffering under since Bob Long's arrival. This would not be intended to micro manage staff, but to have open and honest dialogue between council, management and staff.
o- I would ensure that the CAO is steered by council not the other way round.
o- I would challenge other candidates for mayor and current councilors to review their promises to Tofino, renew their vows, and govern accordingly.
o- RMI spending shall be open and transparent with public input. No pet projects.
o- Due to prior commitments I will be away from Jan 3-Feb 4. I had no idea that I would be a candidate when this commitment was made, almost a year ago. My sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. I have no knowledge of any all candidates meetings, but would be happy to respond to written questions.
Any candidates are welcome to post their campaign material . Guest editorials always welcome. Thanks, Ralph
ReplyDeletea welcome set of guiding principles.
ReplyDeletemay we please have a section for higher consciousness?
ReplyDeleteWow. You've got my vote.
George, you should read the community charter because it clearly outlines the roles, responsibilities, and powers of the Mayor. Much of what you outline are not your decisions but the decision of council. The mayor has one vote only and is only used to break a tie.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot eliminate the current "hourglass" system, that is not your decision. You cannot make councillors responsible for portfolios, that is not your decision. I could go on and on but much of what you say is controlled be law and is not at the whim of the Mayor. Please educate yourself on the job that you are applying for.
11:24 it is people like you that have put us in the mess we are in . George has my vote.
ReplyDeleteResponsibilities of mayor
ReplyDelete116 (1) The mayor is the head and chief executive officer of the municipality.
(2) In addition to the mayor's responsibilities as a member of council, the mayor has the following responsibilities:
(a) to provide leadership to the council, including by recommending bylaws, resolutions and other measures that, in the mayor's opinion, may assist the peace, order and good government of the municipality;
(b) to communicate information to the council;
(c) to preside at council meetings when in attendance;
(d) to provide, on behalf of the council, general direction to municipal officers respecting implementation of municipal policies, programs and other directions of the council;
(e) to establish standing committees in accordance with section 141;
(f) to suspend municipal officers and employees in accordance with section 151;
(g) to reflect the will of council and to carry out other duties on behalf of the council;
(h) to carry out other duties assigned under this or any other Act.
As well under section 131 of the Community Charter the Mayor can require council to reconsider a matter.As a member of council,the Mayor has a vote.
Thanks for posting that Ralph,
ReplyDeleteClearly, "
(g) to reflect the will of council and to carry out other duties on behalf of the council" proves that by a vote, the council decides the "will" and the mayor has to follow the "will"
(d) to provide, on behalf of the council, general direction to municipal officers respecting implementation of municipal policies, programs and other directions of the council;
d) clearly states that the mayor provides the direction AS OUTLINED BY COUNCIL. The Mayor does not set out his own vision, it is just one vote of 7.
to provide leadership to the council, including by recommending bylaws, resolutions and other measures that, in the mayor's opinion, may assist the peace, order and good government of the municipality;
ReplyDeleteGetting rid of the stupid "Hourglass" would fall under the above
The arguement isn't whether or not it can be done or is a good idea, it is whether or not it is the Mayor's perogative or the will of council. The latter is the reality. Since none of Council ran on elminating the current structure, it would be unwise of them to consider yet another huge re-org without public consultation. Public being all of the community, not just the loud ones that are always heard.
ReplyDeleteto 1:54, to quote, the Mayor makes a recommendation to council, then it is put to vote. At no time does the Mayor have more power than the council. Fight the province if you want a fight. The Hourglass is the common model used throughout all communities because you never want one councillor in charge of Parks and Rec, it must be the will of Council through the CAO.
ReplyDeleteyeah the hourglass cost us:
ReplyDeletesally
roberta
mike
jennifer
good system, we should keep it in place. Why would we want to talk to employees before firing them.
Braedens/Bobs mayor & 6 disciples sure do good work.
Open door policy is is the key to "OPEN TRANSPARENT GOVERNMENT"!
ReplyDeleteGood for a laugh
ReplyDeletehttp://perryschmunk.com/
see what he promised you know what he did. I don't believe he achieved one of his promises.
Thank-you George for your clear and comprehensive bird's-eye view on how you intend to help get Tofino back on the rails.
ReplyDeleteYour position on receiving the income that a mayor is entitled to is honorable indeed. Unnecessary though in my opinion. I would like to see you paid for your contribution.
You have my vote.
re the hourglass:
ReplyDeletedont think. obey.
the hourglass is good for you.
now shut up and go to sleep.
afterall, everyone else uses the hourglass model to avoid personal responsibility and accountability.
the CAO is the only person in the DOT capable of knowing what councils need to know and what councils dont need to know. and you and me too. hes omnipotent
at least with the portfolio system someone takes responsibility for knowing and reporting what is going on in, say, the water system.
ReplyDeletewithout a person able to draw on the resources of past employees councillors experience etc we were left with one person telling people what whats and nobody verifying anything.
case in point: the landslide above close creek last year.
DOT says there is no landslide.
this blog published a picture of the landslide and DOT still maintained there was no landslide.
surreal but thats the problem with believing one source of info.
seems like the old portfolio system made more sense when it comes to stuff like this.
George, as a Mayoral Candidate, can you clarify if you live in the District of Tofino ?
ReplyDelete7:07 p.m.
ReplyDelete...here we go again with the hairsplitting, trivial bullshit.
Check into all what he has given to this town for the past 18 years.
In answer to if I live in Tofino, YES!, my primary residence is in Tofino. As long as I own a business in Tofino that will not change.
ReplyDeleteStop by and you will find me at work most of the time. Chatting to real people who really care about our town. I believe I have a real feel for how Tofitians feel about our community.
It shows how much credibility this blog has if the majority of people on here want George Smith for Mayor. What a bunch of clowns.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you hate democracy ? I'll vote for whoever I like and certainly not a Schmunk clone ! If only Donna would run !!
ReplyDeleteAny word on what Josie is proposing? Can we just accept the status quo?
ReplyDeletePeople want change?
People can vote for whom they like. I appreciate everyone who has the courage and makes the commitment to throw their hat in the ring. However...
ReplyDeleteThis time around, my vote will be for George Smith because of one very specific reason. We need to have our financial situation repaired followed by strong fiscal management. Allow me to put it this way, we cannot afford to have an airy-fairy administration with the flavour of the Tilitsky, Ashton, Shaw era. No more intellectual eco- dreamers playing with our tax money, i.e electric quads, sewage operated power plants, seaweed harvesting, salal picking. I sense a vote for the other candidate will bring you more of the same.
In the past ten years we have been robbed as a result of pet projects initiated by "seriously off-base eco dreamers" on council, as well as political experiments cunningly carried out in secret behind closed doors by the last three administrations. Don't get me going about the theft from public coffers right beneath the auspices of the RCMP who are across the street. And these bums got away with it.
We need honesty and good business sense.
We do not need wishy washy. AGAIN!
Josie is not the status quo. If elected I look forward to her positive forward progress which, I'm sure will keep the communities interest #1. I don't believe she is presenting herself on this blog because there is so much baggage here however, it shouldn't stop us from a discussion (make note, i did not say attacks, I said a discussion) on Ralph's blog.
ReplyDeletemaybe get Josie to comment on some of George's points. Silence and secrecy are the status quo.
ReplyDeleteIt is time to turn the page on the Baert/Johns/Ashton/Tlizky axis.We need a mayor with fresh ideas.
ReplyDeleteThere are other mediums to express ones opinion, not just the blog. A public, non-anonymous medium which, I may add, is probably a more appropriate place to engage in a debate. By the way nice use o the phrase "axis", it kinda reminds me of GW Bush, more guns and religion will make this town a better place, trust me
ReplyDeleteJosie let us know what your opinions are. Silence is status quo and noone wants that
ReplyDeleteI thought the last mayor was elected for his fresh ideas? Didn't seem to work out too well...
ReplyDeleteThe last mayor was elected because he was the lesser of two evils.
ReplyDelete12:42 P.M.
ReplyDeleteThank-you.
100% true.
At a social gathering recently I happened to catch the new mayoral candidate whispering to someone who was standing right next to me.
ReplyDeleteIt was impossible not to hear what the conversation was about. The topic, local politics. It was all about what everyone in town is openly talking about.
Hush hush, here we go again.
Enough said.
Elect George Smith!
ReplyDeleteLet's put an end to Schmunkey business in Tofino!
looks like facebookers alone are going to have access to Josie opinions. The us vs them gets underway. This is exactly what shmunky did.
ReplyDeleteAnyone surprised?
6:32 P.M.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I guess if someone doesn't buy into the social media thang, i.e. facebook, they won't know what the hell's goin' on or what Josie is up to. I'm not saying Ralph's blog is the end all be all, but the privacy concerns associated with facebook are indeed something to consider.
You are right, Schmonkey did polarize us that way or try. It worked for Obama. i.e wanna be upbeat, cool, socially connected leaders
At the end of the day, however, behind the facade of cool, the same old shitty dystopian policies were still being prepared like anal suppositories for the general public.
think about a two headed mayor.
ReplyDeletethe mayor as a siamese twins.
josie and george being mayor together.
we can vote here except for anonymouse
Tofino has become nothing more than a microsociety full of bumbling idots. We've seen it time and time again. Council's recent decisions regarding Sally and Parks and Rec is just another nail in the coffin. Can someone explain the logic? The town without logic? Oh, wait, we do have a corporate stratigic plan that aligns it's self with something or something that no one is either willing or able to explain! Thank council and the CAO, we'll all be saved! I can go to sleep tonight comfortable and assured. Ahh, sleep.
ReplyDeletethe point has been made before that weve had a de facto referendum on development for about 8 years now and no sign of a change.
ReplyDeletethe acceptable growth rate set out in the OCP has been ignored.
a draconian policy of extortion red tape and blackmail by the DOT chased anybody wanting to do anything worthwhile out of town.
with them an increase in tax base.
no one seems to mind that many other new items have consumed the DOT focus time money and energyinstead of the growth rate.
items that werent in the OCP.
like corporate restructuring.
so we have lots of vacancies, little employment, and families moving away.
this in turn impacts local shops and businesses negatively relative to customer service and employment.
home prices remain high due to lack of competition and supply.
so tofino is shrinking.
i would hope that both mayoral candidates consider this situation carefullybefore it gets ny more out of whack.
4:45 a.m.
ReplyDeleteWell said.
I've been trying to say this for years, but the DOT hasn't been getting it. The wave of stupidity was just too great. It becomes hard to negotiate with bumbling idiots and crooks after awhile. It's like hitting a wall.
We gave most of our money to bums in suits who spent it all on so many things that produced no value.
Now with hardly any tax base, the hardworking citizens of Tofino who haven't left are being asked...how now brown cow?
This is good material for a political cartoon column. Kaw-kaw-kaw, pooh!
ReplyDeletethe OHseepee forgot to consider an acceptable shrink rate.
ReplyDeleteconsider weve not had much of a growth rate, subtract from that vacancy rates residential, commercial vacancies, loss of employment, business start-ups, and folks moving out of town.
the net loss is quality of life, economic well being, social cohesion, creative opportunity, and an increased ability(via taxes) to pay for the costs and expenses that have groaned. i mean grown.
if there was a co-relate between costs of governance including lawsuits and loss of growth that could be calculated as one number, no matter what the DOT says, we are heading in the other direction from growth to decline.
this neednt happen, or continue to happen, unless we continue to ignore fundamental issues of costs and accountability.