Wouldn’t it be a welcome change, that if this civic election we voted for someone real, down-to-earth, the kind of mayor that when they drive to work and see dysfunction, they did something about it?
Called city staff into council and asked for some answers to some everyday questions; like why it takes so long to pave a road; why does Penticton and Kelowna offer big-ticket entertainment at their flagship arenas and not Vernon?
Real questions to real problems. There is at times, a common perception of municipal operations being staffed with fat-cat bureaucrats, lazy city employees, who are overpaid and under-worked, that happily work in a self-serving system that fits their needs and not the citizens.
We need a leader who doesn’t pander to the organization, who recognizes that the city is full of hard-working citizens who have to get things done, done right, done on time and without the perks of a high wage and union benefits.
One only has to drive through Vernon to see the evidence of a dysfunctional organization that needs an overhaul.
Just look at some examples in the private sector of work being done in a timely and efficient manner — the Nixon Wenger building and Kal Tire’s new head office.
Why can’t the private business model of results, expectations and productivity be in government operations? It seems no one asks the tough questions, or has expectations of this city’s mayor, administrator or workers. The answer ultimately starts at the top, with the mayor, the visions and expectations he conveys to the council and staff.
I hope whoever wins on Nov. 19, is a commuter, a recreation user, a shopper, a walker, basically, in touch with the day-to-day realities we citizens face every day and is willing to do something about it.
Jeff Hunkin, Vernon
