Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Barb2U: MAG is a NO-brainer Nov 29, 2011


Eleven days post-Delta civic elections and happily I have my life back to order.
Bliss. 

It would be better if Heather was Mayor, but bliss is bliss. 

Ah, that was three hours ago.

Bliss? That was before I read an article in the Delta Optimist. 

I threw out a raspberry tweet and muttered a bunch of rather unladylike expressions and tried to get over it!

Unfortunately, my state of bliss did not return.  I did not get over it!

HUH??? Truly, I thought I was done with blogging and politics.

We gave it a good run, lost, and closed the book.

NOPE!

Closed the chapter! 

Surprise, surprise, I am not done. After a bad case of the mutters, I decided I gotta do something. Something legal that is; the pen is mightier than the sword!

Apparently, I cannot care 100% and then expect a raspberry tweet and a bit of muttering to anesthetize my concerns. UGH, I feel rather dramatic, like the owner of an exotic, never before diagnosed, Achilles' heel. 

My weakness is that I do care. I care a whole lot. 

Join my moaning and feel my pain. 

I was warned. 

Longtime friend and political activist with a political career, Arne Zabell, (Twitter@RuralBC) warned me, "Once you realize you can participate, be heard and hopefully improve the quality of life for many: politics is addictive." 

Smugly I shrugged off his warning; after all, I don't have an addictive personality. 

But I do care. I have an Achilles' heel.
Here is the skinny:
  • A zillion candidates jockeying for a position on Delta council said that Delta needs to change. They used strong words to describe what was wrong with Delta council: lack of transparency, bullying, arrogance, and intimidation!
  • Jackson wins - regardless of the disdain I feel, congratulations are in order. I am, after all just one vote and I have other things to do....
  • Today I read the article "Delta mayor doesn't see need for civic auditor" and my heart sinks...she didn't listen, nothing is going to change, and my buddy (Heather King) isn't at the table to ask the tough questions.
The appointment of a Municipal Auditor General (MAG) is a good thing. The MAG will be able to let us know, if we are getting bang for our Delta taxpayers' bucks!

We shouldn't just blindly trust our civic leader, Jackson, who says, "A new auditor general for local government is a big waste of time and money."

Sigh, she really doesn't get it.

Yesterday, there was an excellent article in the Vancouver Sun "Auditor-general must be change agent for municipalities".

Truly the MAG is a no-brainer: accountability and transparency are good things. REALLY GOOD THINGS!

The article says is way better than I could.

I am done, but just for today. Now I must find some chocolate to go with my raspberries!

1 comment:

  1. The new Municipal Auditor will do nothing to help Barb! Unless like Regional Districts Municipalities are bound by their budgets. Right now they can say we are going to spend on this but spend the money on anything they want. So until spending is controlled by real budgets, the auditor will be useless. Did you know local governments produce a five year financial plan EVERY year! That's long term planning eh! Keep going Barb, we all need your voice and so does Delta!

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