Advice To New Councillors

"Don't Drink The CoolAide"

There are serious side effects of drinking the staff prepared CoolAide, not the least of which is presuming that city staff really have all the answers and are making the correct recommendations.

Remember this is the same management team that thinks building $16 million shiny new offices (without going to public tender) instead of spending $4 million upgrading their present offices was a good use of tax dollars.

They also recommended that city council roll over and play dead, when VIHA ordered Nanaimo to build a $70 million treatment plant to treat water that has needed boiling a couple of times in 150 years.

They also successfully managed the construction of the conference centre and gave Nanaimo a building that was supposed to cost $52 million for the low, low price of only $75 million.

They took over two months to approve a building permit to put a new roof on a garage at the food bank, and less than 30 seconds to approve their shiny new office (built without a tender).

The most serious side effect of drinking the CoolAide is the illusion that it is council who are making all the decisions, when in fact, city hall management staff can pretty much lead city council to whatever conclusion they wanted in the first place.

If you doubt that, ask some SERIOUS questions about the shiny new staff office!! Then make a motion to bring all the hidden reports out of 'in camera' so residents can see exactly how this decision was made, and who on council supported this expense.

Another serious side effect is to avoid all kinds of questioning and debate during council meetings, after all, if staff recommends it, it must be right.....right?