There is an open question period prior to Tuesday's Council meeting at 5:30 pm at the Council Chambers.If you have any concerns regarding the recent "Corporate Re-alignment" that resulted in the firing of Sally Mole please attend.Whether you are against this initiative or support it let council know how you feel.
Writing in to the blog is slightly helpful but signing a letter to council or showing up at a council meeting is infinitely better.
The District has adopted some new language that is intended to disguise the fact that this is a small town and have you believe it is a mammoth corporation .
examples:
Organizational Alignment with Corporate Strategic Plan
Corporate Strategic Planning process
District’s short and long term corporate
management, decision-making and implementation, and budget alignment
District’s Resort
Development Strategy (RDS)
Community
Sustainability department and the establishment of a new Resort Services department.
While council seems to dislike your anonymous comments the Press Release for Sally's termination was posted by an anonymous "media contact"
Please show up at this meeting whatever your thoughts......thanks,Ralph
Yup, baffle with bullshit!
ReplyDeleteI will be there to ask questions.
ReplyDeleteBring your kids, dogs, pet budgies stray monkeys....
ReplyDeleteBetter cut the daycare and the library as well as they are unprofitable for the "corporation"
ReplyDeleteI guess you could add the theatre to the list of things to be cut.
Since when is a "corporate model" suitable for the running of a small town? Been thru it with a large arts organization and it was a disaster. I'll be a the meeting early!
ReplyDeleteThis is sure sounding like there may be a lynching today! I refuse to believe our elected council has been so ingnorant of this situation. I am leaning on the side of inocent until proven guilty for our council that is. If they do not have a reasonable explaination for this "restructuring" and removing Sallt from our district payroll then yes, they should suffer the rath of the community. If, however, there is something that we do not see, like the possibility that Sally may have catered too often to special interests or lacked the proper leadership/management skills to be responsible for the increased responsibility of this new position, then those of you screaming bloody murder should eat your words!
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that at every outdoor event I have seen Sally manning the kiosk or picking up garbage. She has always been involved. I'm not too sure though that she has the skills to continue to manage such important funds for our community.
I don't think there is a lynching. I believe that the community wants and needs answers of the fate of the parks and rec program and why does the DOT not have info available to the community after announcing this organizational change. There is no info and they want to be open about communication.
ReplyDelete12:33, she's proven herself well in the past 20 years! EVERYTHING parks and rec was brought to us under her direction not to mention the valuble daycare that according to the draft budget, makes a profit!
ReplyDeleteI attended the draft 2013 Budget meeting this morning. Other than the Westerly News, I was the only member of the public attending.
ReplyDeleteI was able to ask a couple of questions at the end of the meeting. I asked how many staff positions are included in the 2013 salary and benefits envelope for Parks and Recreation. Council didn't seem to know the answer and referred it to staff. After some fumbling looking at figures and discussion between the COA and the finance officer, I was told that there are two full time positions (a program person and an assistant), as well as a summer student.
I asked where the other positions / structure mentioned in the December 03rd Press Release were located. They said that it was RMI money and will be covered by that envelope. I told them that I was trying to visualize what the new structure mentioned in the PR was going to look like and I was not getting any information to help me do that. They talked amongst themselves about maybe getting the new org chart out. Cathy said that they want to create a position to oversee RMI projects. They asked if I understood this. I said I understood only partially what they were doing. They said that they are confident that P&R service delivery will not be affected. I said that I knew that was not possible with the removal of one full time equivalent from such a small program. Discussion ended and they went on to the in-camera session.
I learned more this morning of what is going on than I have in the past week and a half. It appears more bungled than I thought. I don't see how they can tie a position for RMI projects that will be funded by RMI translates into a P&R position funded from the general budget. As they did not seem able to explain the new structure, it is looking more to me as if they really did fire Sally simply to save money.
I was surprised that I was the only person there. I hope that the people of Tofino who are concerned about the gutting of this program come out tomorrow to communicate their concerns.
The details of Sally's firing will never be known, maybe even to Sally. The issue here is a complete re-org of services provided by the District and not one single meeting with the public to assess, address, and inform the citizens. And every councillor stood up and talked about transparency and open government. What a lie.
ReplyDeleteUmmm council starts at 6. Councilors usually show up at 5:30 pm. Not as Ralph suggests
ReplyDeleteThe question period is before the meeting at 6pm.See you at 5:30 . thanks,Ralph
ReplyDeleteCan't help but think that tomorrow night's early mtg. start is just a non formal prelude to a regular meeting. Anyone know who's chairing the mtg. since the mayor is not in the house. I would think they are nervous. And so they should be.
ReplyDeletedear 12:33, your'e right, sally doesn' have the managment and leadership skills of other management in this town. She actually has integrity, compassion and honesty. She works for the betterment of our town and the sad thing is that she's been cast aside after 20 years of contributing to the people and families of this sad town. Given the timing of her axe job I say it's even worse. Council has shown us all that we have no hope, no future.
ReplyDeleteI would ask council how much it's costing the District to use an executive search company to find a new CAO. Waterhouse Executive Search Ltd. out of Vancouver is overseeing the hiring of the CAO.
ReplyDeleteWhy are we not hiring our own CAO?
ReplyDeleteIn the 4-5 years I've called this neck of the woods home, I've heard a lot of people voice their opinions and concerns about what this town needs. I've heard about water and sewage, I've heard multiplex, multiplex, multiplex, I've heard affordable housing. I have NOT heard "you know, we could really use some corporate restructuring" or "it would be really sweet if we could rip up Campbell street and make it prettier". And I deffinetly haven't heard anyone voice their desire for LESS services. No one has said to me "man, that damn parks and rec, always putting on programs that help my kid learn and grow. I wish they'd cut that department". I have never heard "Sally works too hard, she should go".
ReplyDeleteIt's time to stop letting council pump our ocean and our heads full of shit.
Andrew!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome.
Thank you.
: )