Tuesday, March 11, 2008

POST FROM COMMISSIONER LORETTA WOODCOCK

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC

POST FROM COMMISSIONER LORETTA WOODCOCK

I've posted this email from Commissioner Woodcock as per her request. It appears there is a brewing battle of the two Park Board DIVAS--Perhaps Heather Holden might respond--JLH


So nice to see U last night at the park board meeting Jamie. Thank U for supporting the International Women's Day motion in encouraging park board to facilitate city wide IWD celebrations for 2009. There were some eloquent speakers representing the Indo-Canadian community, youth & elder communities. I was embarassed how Commissioner Holden acknowledged their efforts by referring to their presentations (and my motion) as cheap politics. Holden then mentioned that she belonged to the "BC Women's Commission" as if it were some notable organization advocating and advancing womens issues, when in reality it entailed signing up to the Liberal party as a member. So much for someone who respects women from diverse communities. An inferior role model that I would not want my daughter to aspire to.

In any event, I was intrigued by our sidebar about Eco-Density. U asked me the question that if I didn't support Eco-Density then I didn't support citizen Jim Green. What on earth do U mean my dear? Jim is doing consulting services for social housing, so I really can't support him in the same way were he a politician. I think were he a politician, he wouldn't have introduced the Eco-Centricity label to the complex work city planners have been doing for decades. To see Sam Sullivan introduce a logo, attach $800,000 of taxpayer dollars to it, and have professional city planners toil through a definition of some nebulous verbage to develop criteria around it, which manages to divide residents around the city, is certainly a feat few can surpass.

Thank U for your tireless efforts Jamie in sorting out the values & motives of city politicians and holding them to account.

Best,
Loretta

FIREWORKS at PARK BOARD MEETING LAST NIGHT

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC

FIREWORKS at PARK BOARD MEETING LAST NIGHT


When is conflict-of-interest not a conflict-of-interest? According to Vancouver Park Board Vice-Chair, Ian Robertson, who had to take over chairing last night's Park board meeting, after charges brought against current NPA Chair, Korina Houghton, by COPE park Commissioners, Loretta Woodcock and Spencer Herbert, conflict only arises if the person who conflict charges are brought against, states there is a conflict.

In the case of Ms Houghton, she states she wasn't in a conflict and had sought legal advice and the opinion that she received was there wasn't a conflict. She wouldn't name where the opinion came from.

So what brought about this conflict-of-interest charge to begin with?

Well according to Commissioners Woodcock and Herbert, Chairperson Houghton had presented last month at City Hall and spoke in favour of NPA Mayor Sam Sullivan's Eco-density initiative. It was alleged that she was introduced as Park board Chair at the Council meeting and therefore there was a perception that Ms Houghton was bringing forth official park board support. The Park board hadn't voted on this matter and therefore Ms Woodcock, who doesn't support Eco-density, Mr. Herbert and Vision Commissioner, Allan De Genova raised their displeasure over this.

Further the conflict charge arose after Ms Houghton had officially announced plans to seek a Council seat and would be supporting Mayor Sam Sullivan. There was therefore, it is alleged, a perception created that Ms Houghton would receive favor from Mr. Sullivan and his supporters for speaking in support of the Eco-Density plan.

This in turn caused fireworks with a number of barbs traded across the Commissioner's board table. Ms Woodcock was accused of using cheap political stunts to further her aims.

I asked former NPA park board Chair, Laura McDiarmid, if there was a perception of conflict due to Ms Houghton's support of Mayor Sullivan and whether there is a perception that Ms Houghton may gain benefit securing a Council nomination in return for her support of Eco-Density. Ms McDiarmid replied, "there certainly is and why Ms Houghton chose to speak at Council on Eco-Density and as the Chair, this is wrong. In an election year, there is closer scrutiny of politicians as there should be. I think Chair Houghton made a critical mistake".

Whether this conflict-of-interest motion brought forward by Commissioner Woodcock, which Ms Houghton summarized as political mischief making is uncertain. What is certain though is how Mayor Sullivan and his plan to Eco-density the City has created a huge divide in the City.

Chair Houghton states, she wasn't willing to be bullied by the two COPE Commissioners and in her opinion that is what the Woodcock motion was doing.

The problem, or at least the public perception of the problem, is that the dominant municipal parties are continuously at war with one another. Whether this provides good governance for the citizens of the City is in doubt. Consequently, what's in the public interest continues to be eroded.


Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com