Friday, April 27, 2007

Mistrust and dysfunction continues at Regional District


The acrid atmosphere at Regional District doesn’t seem to be improving much as time goes by; the latest bit of in fighting around the table finds some of the directors claiming that they are being left out of decisions that impact on the workings of the government body.

The latest happenings certainly lead one to wonder if any of the current members have read their own title page to their website which talks about cooperation and service to the North Coast! Perhaps it's time for a new mission statement to reflect the current sense of confusion at the organization.

The last few months at Regional District have been rather testy and chaotic, a long time employee was apparently terminated, a new administrator is apparently soon to be hired and yet a few of the directors suggest that they are being kept in the dark on developments.

It’s an apparent ongoing power struggle, which is pitting rural and urban directors in a nasty bit of public bantering, that isn’t doing much to secure the organizations reputation as a viable forum for debate, let alone one which should have spending authority.

The entire process is coming across as far too secretive and just a tad dysfunctional, which should send alarm bells ringing for those of us who pay the taxes that keep the organization up and running.

Maybe it’s about time that the festering issues of the past and the plans for the future were given a complete public and transparent hearing, allowing residents of the Northwest to get a better handle as to just what is going on at an organization that many of us know nothing about.

The Daily News provided some of the pieces to the continuing puzzle in a front page story in Thursday’s paper.

DISTRICT DIRECTORS CLAIM THEY HAVE BEEN ‘LEFT OUT’
Some politicians complaining that they are being left out of ‘the loop’
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
April 26, 2007
Pages one and three

In another sing of the level of mistrust festering between the regional district board members, director Ian Hetman alleged some members of the board have been totally cut out of the process of changing administrations.

At Friday night’s meeting, Hetman said he had tried to find out where the board was with negotiations in the process of terminating its former administrator Janet Beil by contacting the district’s lawyer, chair and vice chair but he said he could not get any information.

“We are coming up to the point where we are going to hire an administrator and that administrator is going to be my administrator and I want to be completely in the loop,” said Hetman. “I want to be involved with seeing who applies, who’s on the short list and who is doing the interviews. I don’t want to be left out anymore.”

The board began the process of dismissing Beil, who had been with the regional district for the past 19 years, three months ago.

Hetman was one of three directors who reportedly opposed the dismissal of Beil during the in camera meetings. The other directors who opposed the dismissal are thought to be Des Nobels and Karl Bergman.

Bergman also expressed his concern about being left out of the loop.

“I remember about a year ago at big (strategic planning) sessions where we all got together and agreed we were going to tell all our secrets and it seems to be the same problem these days, I did not know what was going on,” said Bergman. “When I am asked, what am supposed to tell people? I have no idea.”

However, vice chair Tony Briglio said there was no reason for concern because no one on the board had seen the names of those who had applied and they would be choosing the short list for a new Chief Administrative Officer during an in-camera meeting.

As for dealing with the solicitor, Briglio noted that the board had passed a motion that only the chair Barry Pages was authorized to deal with the solicitor.

“If we are going to go that way, then the chair needs to advise us,’ said Hetman.

“And he will do that tonight”, said Briglio.

“Things have been going on since more than the last week and the last meeting and we haven’t been in the loop at all,” said Hetman.

“Then what is it that you believe is going on, because that would suggest you know something that I don’t,” said Briglio.

“For example, what proposals have been going back and forth about Ms. Beil. We talked at one meeting about what the proposal would be and I haven’t heard anything since,” said Hetman.

At this point, director Carol Kulesha pointed out they were moving into personnel issues, issues that are supposed to take place in-camera.

However, Briglio said this was a discussion about process and as such should be carried out in public.

“I think you‘ll find during the discussions at the in-camera session that the specifics of what you may think are the facts or what others may be telling you are the facts aren’t necessarily the facts. Give us the opportunity to have that in-camera session and I for one think you’ll be quite comfortable,” said Briglio.

“I understand what Mr. Hetman is saying and Mr. Hetman will be in the process just like every other board member will be in the process,” said chair Barry Pages. “We will be dealing with it in camera Mr. Hetman and you will be part of the decision and part of the process, just like every other board member will be a part of it.”

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