whatnext
Mar 28, 2010, 4:16 PM
This article in the Courier speculates Vision and city manager Penny Ballem are out to rob the Parks board of their independence:
The Vancouver Police Board hires the city's police chief while the Vancouver Public Library board chooses its own director. But when it comes to hiring a new general manager for the park board, the city insists that while it will consider all suggestions, the final word on the new boss ends with the city manager.
This was made painfully obvious last year when longtime manager Susan Mundick announced her retirement and told various members of the media, including me, that she planned to stick around until after the 2010 Olympic Games to help choose her successor. That was when the proverbial poop hit the fan.
City manager Penny Ballem, who was hired by Vision Vancouver one month after the party gained power in 2008, wasted no time setting Mundick straight. In an email to Mundick, Ballem wrote, "The general manager of parks and recreation has a line of accountability to me..." and continued, "I will work with [then park board chair] Raj [Hundal] and the other commissioners to support this work in relation to choosing your successor." Ballem backed up her stand with comments from the city's legal department, which said while the park board has exclusive jurisdiction within its area of responsibility as set out in the Vancouver Charter, there are certain areas of an "administrative nature," such as employment matters, where "ultimate authority rests with city council."..
Read more: http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/opinion/story.html?id=a0d5e7a6-5ef5-47a7-9d6a-108a2c18f9fc#ixzz0jUM7VMVY
The Vancouver Police Board hires the city's police chief while the Vancouver Public Library board chooses its own director. But when it comes to hiring a new general manager for the park board, the city insists that while it will consider all suggestions, the final word on the new boss ends with the city manager.
This was made painfully obvious last year when longtime manager Susan Mundick announced her retirement and told various members of the media, including me, that she planned to stick around until after the 2010 Olympic Games to help choose her successor. That was when the proverbial poop hit the fan.
City manager Penny Ballem, who was hired by Vision Vancouver one month after the party gained power in 2008, wasted no time setting Mundick straight. In an email to Mundick, Ballem wrote, "The general manager of parks and recreation has a line of accountability to me..." and continued, "I will work with [then park board chair] Raj [Hundal] and the other commissioners to support this work in relation to choosing your successor." Ballem backed up her stand with comments from the city's legal department, which said while the park board has exclusive jurisdiction within its area of responsibility as set out in the Vancouver Charter, there are certain areas of an "administrative nature," such as employment matters, where "ultimate authority rests with city council."..
Read more: http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/opinion/story.html?id=a0d5e7a6-5ef5-47a7-9d6a-108a2c18f9fc#ixzz0jUM7VMVY