On Monday, March 16, at 4:30 in the City Hall Board Room, Council will sit as the Finance and Policy Committee of the Whole (FPCOW) to hold another in their series of discussions of the 2009 budget and the 2009-2013 Financial Plan, the document that sets the stage for taxes and for what will be happening -or not happening- in the next few years in our city.  More attention should be paid.  My hat is off to Mr. van Panhuis who spoke up at last Monday's Council Meeting on this subject.  He is another of our retired citizens whose pension increase falls ever farther behind the property tax increases demanded by the city over the past number of years.  There are many like him in our community.

Also, Monday is the last day for candidates -either losers or winners or Campaign Organizers- to file their Campaign finance disclosure documents without penalty.  These should then be up on the city's web site on Tuesday for all to see.  I believe we will find again that it is the same small number of folks who fork out big dollar donations to candidates and often subsequently appear before Council with proposals or contracts.  It may well be time to go to one or more municipal parties to get some broader backing for and control over our Councillors.  We all  know that some candidates are running along provincial party lines and are really only playing in our sandbox for an opportunity to make it to the big leagues at the provincial level.  I would like to hear opinions on the idea of a municipal party or parties in Nanaimo and what their goals might be.

 


Comments

shanker

03/12/2009 21:00:18

If you are referring to Jeet Manhas using his time on council as a means of getting a provincial seat,I doubt such a shifty-eyed little weasel could get elected dog catcher.The way the B.C. Rail scandal appears to be developing even Gordo and his party could be in big-time trouble.God help us if the NDP should ever get power again.I personally will never vote NDP nor will I ever vote for Manhas.That leaves the Green paty I guess,which is O.K.
I suggest a municipal party will never be successful.What is needed is smarter people running for council in Nanaimo.No wait,that won't work either because we had a good number of pretty darn smart people running in the last 2 city elections but only dumb candidates were elected.Several really dumb ones.

 

shanker

03/13/2009 10:59:54

Let me correct myself.Not all the candidates are dumb.I think Pattje,Bestwick,Kipp and certainly Sherry are independent thinkers to a good extent,hopefully moreso rather than not.I have no use for the other 4 as they are basically pawns to senior staff.I wish Negin and Bolin had been elected,but probably next time they will be.

 



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