Mr. Berry Double Dipping???

Jerry Berry Working For Province

Still Being Paid By Nanaimo Taxpayers

It seems that ex-city manager, Jerry Berry has found new employment with the Provincial Government but will still be expecting Nanaimo taxpayers to pay him for doing nothing!

An article in today's Daily News outlines the details of Berry's new employment and can be read using this LINK.

For those with a short memory, you have the current City Council to thank for crafting this 'Golden Handshake' last September. This deal is surrounded by so much secrecy, you can't blame Nanaimo taxpayer's for thinking the whole deal stinks.

If there is nothing to hide, then why in the world is Mayor Ruttan the only person who can speak on the matter. If this is not highly irregular, can you think of any other topic, that fellow councillors are forbidden to talk about? For that matter, is the gag order even actually legal?

Much is said about the competence of Mr. Berry as an administrator and both he and current city manager Mr. Kenning have been praised for the way they have handled city affairs.

It should be remembered that both Mr. Berry and Mr. Kenning were responsible for the administration of the downtown convention centre contracts with Millennium, who now are in default to the city for some $3,000,000.00, which the city taxpayers have no hope to ever collect. A project which was built without ever going to tender, with contracts that did not ensure the construction of the downtown hotel, which saw the original price of $52,000,000 reaching at least $72,000,000 (some claim the cost nearer $100,000,000) before completing.

I am certain that Mr. Berry's contract is absolutely air tight and legal (after all the city taxpayers paid his lawyer $7500 to draft it), but just because something is legal does not mean it is RIGHT!

But that does not seem to matter much these days, does it?