Ottawa City Staff Lacks Professionalism: BENN
Staff has recommended that council approve Lansdowne 2.0, notwithstanding the multiple red flags.
Staff has dismissed or ignored, rather than objectively refuted, the underlying elements that lead to the multiple red flags.
That speaks volumes about the lack of professionalism, and the lack of objectivity of staff. That is a sad, sad assessment of the critical qualities that city staff are supposed to demonstrate on a daily basis. An assessment that I do not make lightly. Suffice it to say that this type of assessment would be career damaging in the private sector.
At issue is whether individual councillors are prepared to ignore the red flags. Of whether councillors will, on the public record, demand (as contrasted with merely request) that staff address specifically why they do not consider these red flags to be relevant to this half billion dollar-ish decision.
To state clearly, and on the record, that a decision to proceed with Lansdowne 2.0 will be deferred until staff responds with empirical, objective evidence that the financial aspects of Lansdowne 2.0 are solid. Staff should go on the public record to state with absolute confidence that council should approve Lansdowne 2.0, notwithstanding the multiple red flags.
At issue is whether individual councillors are going to continue to ignore their statutory obligations of overseeing the recommendations and decisions of staff rather than take one of what planning committee chairman Jeff Leiper has described as multiple off ramps.
Courage takes many forms. One of them is to stand up to staff and tell them, publicly, that they are not performing their jobs to the standards expected of them.
Councillors should accept whatever fallout ensues, including the usual passive aggressive nature of staff when it comes to co-operating with those who deign to disagree with them.
For greater clarity, readers would be well served to recall what then-Gloucester-South Nepean councillor Carol Anne Meehan had to say when it came to getting one more garbage pail installed in a park.
Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.
For You:
Council Ignores Six Lansdowne Red Flags: BENN
Trump Tariffs Have Ulterior Motive: KRUGMAN
The U.S.: From Superpower To Super Antagonist
Bookmark The Bulldog, click here
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
– The Bulldog – News Feed Enter 
Is staff not in a partnership with a group of developers here? Isn’t objectivity is a tall order with this kind of arrangement? I hope our elected representatives are paying attention.
Sadly, if staff did their jobs as you suggest, the result would be a 3-inch thick report, sans executive summary, that none of the councilors would have time, nor the inclination, to read. The least time-consuming solution for council is to just vote “Uncle”.
sisco, if staff did their jobs professionally and objectively the result would be a one page report. Dare I say two short sentences? “The financial aspects of the proposed Lansdowne 2.0 project do not reflect a viable opportunity. We recommend that the city not proceed with it.”
Mr Benn – exactly. And they would bring recommendations to Council not on the basis of their political merits but on management ones. In short, it looks like city hall management staff are serving the political machine and not that of good government.
Th city of Ottawa in days gone by, was fearful of an appeal before the OMB in particular when council defied staff,since the OMB usually sided with the appellant who usually was supported by staff, thus costing the city “stature? and a million dollar loss in costs. Council continues to cringe at any specter of conflict or astute questions since the development industry still holds sway over staff and the potential election dollars earmarked for incumbents. This cycle Has to be broken before council will grow a spine since many representatives know no other employment!