I'm having difficulty deciding which is worse - the cost overruns for the downtown parkade or the utter ignorance of many attacking city council for the same.
Former city manager Katherine Soltis is no longer an employee and it would seem to me that many others in the upper echelons of power at city hall should face the same fate. I do not know at this point as to whether or not Mayor Hall is complicit in these matters or not. If he is, he should be held accountable. City council, on the other hand, appears to have been misled by upper management and it is those people that should be targeted if this is the case.
For years, I have watched Coun. Brian Skakun react to money mismanagement, abuse and scandal in the right way, by calling attention to these acts and informing the taxpaying public. This isn't just simple whistleblowing; it is his duty. Skakun bucks the trend of many politicians, by caring, by acting for not what he thinks is right, but what he knows is right for his constituents, and not just those who voted for him.
There have been a handful of like-minded council members over the years, who have acted as they should, for the taxpayer, and it seems as though many of us have forgotten what powers council has and how far they can go. They certainly cannot be expected to take the fall for actions undertaken by highly paid members of senior staff, especially when this staff acts behind closed doors, seemingly with impunity.
Perhaps it is time for a forensic audit to be done at city hall, perhaps it's time for us to hire local people with a vested interest in our city, and not continue to attract underqualified people with large amounts of money. We have a university, we have a college, so surely these institutions are producing capable people?
We need to stop blaming council for everything and start weeding out those at city hall who are the real problem. Elections come and go, as do the politicians, but the rot will still be there, hiding behind a council that has become the target for many.
Mike Maslen
Prince George
