By Nate Dolha
Published: May 18, 2012
There has been much made of the recent increase in our council’s remuneration.
The usual references to the trough, the dark ages, and other doomsday scenarios that usually accompany what must be a terribly difficult decision.
The one thing missing in the conversation is the question of value.
Like it or not, the District of Squamish is a corporation. We are all stakeholders in a multi-million dollar organization that is charged with providing the necessities of our modern lives.
The folks we hire to steer the ship are the same ones that are shown very little respect by our community, and this is the first thing we should be upset about.
If we are to tackle the issues that are before us and thrive as a community, we need to start by considering what we have asked our councillors to do, and make the right investment into that decision.
The large tax increase that we are facing is not the result of the council compensation package, but the result of previous administrations apathy towards economic development, diversification, and sustainable infrastructure planning.
The previous councils saw this train wreck coming, but chose the politically safe route of promising low taxes to win our favour, instead of providing real leadership and tackling the tough stuff. This should be our second point of anger.
Now that the money is on the table, let’s shift the conversation to the value we should expect for our increased investment.
There are some fundamental issues facing Squamish that require some innovative solutions from our leadership, and a change in attitude from council and citizen alike.
It means a mayor who is banging down doors, selling our community and brand to anyone who will listen.
It’s about our elected leaders creating a long term vision through civil debate and community engagement, accepting the decisions of the whole council, and supporting those decisions with balanced policy.
It’s about more vision, leadership, transparency, equity and unity from all of us.
If we can get that, we get value for our investment, and maybe a chance to climb out of the mess left by our previous administrations.
What if we don’t?
Well, 2014 is just around the corner.
Glenne Campbell says
There are numerous courses and programs available for folks to learn governance, law and management at all levels. Perhaps this should be a prerequisite for potential municipal nominees, much like education is a prerequisite for staff interviewed for jobs in the district. It may take the town beyond the popularity contest we have experienced for many years. Great thing is the availability of these programs online!