Minority, how can it work?

[cowman]

One more thing: It is interesting that 3 councillors did not accept the land use deal against 4 who did?
The three cited concerns about developement issues and the focus on one area at the expense of everyone else! They also expressed concerns about "First Parcel Out"! This concern was not elaborated on in the paper but I would sure like to hear what the problem is, as this was basically hashed out and what was proposed was leave it alone? And at least two of these councillors now holding up the process were very much in the "leave it alone"camp?
So now I'm wondering: Is the planner trying to do an end run around what the public clearly told him regarding first parcel out? He definitely was against it! Both myself and another old boy had a heated exchange with him at a public meeting at Pine lake last year over the issue and our councillor got up and supported us on it!
Not sure about all the details of this but sure as hell intend to find out! It is frustrating when the county staff has an agenda and tries to bull it through no matter what the majority of the public says? I have seen this happen too often.

[cowman]

cowman, welcome to the real world of politics. How do you think that Deputy Ministers and ADM's advise their ministers ? What the public wants has very little to do with it I can assure you.
The only thing they area concerned with is to get things rammed through after a 'targetted consultation' which is a joke.

Case in point the proposed integrated land management initiative.
There will be 200 people from across the province invited to a Land Use conference to discuss the proposed integration of land use policies.
Who do you think is going to pick the 200 people !!!!!

[cowman]

I would give my eye teeth to be in attendance at that conference but you can bet that the attendees will be handpicked for their willingness to go along with what has already been predecided by a smaller committee made up of mainly beaurocrats !!!

[cowman]

Well all I can say is if that is how politics works it is a pretty sad situation? When the will of the people is ignored because some hired beurocrat has an agenda!
In one of the local papers there was a story of the chip seal and paving contract for 2006 in RD county. At a cost of $2.4 million which came to 7% over what was budgetted....three months ago! When the operations manager was asked how come such a big increase and how come only one company bid on it...his answer "signs of the times"! What he didn't mention was because he's screwed so many companies around no one would bid on it...and forgot to mention the fact that the company that did bid was actually "owed one" after one of his screwups two years before!
In a totally hilarious farce the councillor speaking to the paper said" This is a company we have done business with before and we find them totally reliable and their work top notch"!!!
Three months ago at a townhall meeting when I asked her about a real mess on a new paved road she tried to blame the contractor and said they would be going after him for shoddy work? Guess what? This is the same contractor!
At this same meeting when I said it wasn't the contractor at fault but the operations manager for trucking in river silt for the base the reeve quickly stepped in and said we couldn't talk about this because they might be suing the contractor!
....and you might wonder why a ratepayer would question these people?

[cowman]

all construction costs have increased so they might be correct on that point cowman.
Our only source of gravel here comes from surface material leases along the North Saskatchewan River, we have no inland gravel source.

[cowman]

Well I personally doubt it? Not all that difficult to know things were going up?
One councillor expressed concern that only one company bid on a $2.4 million contract? Maybe he should know what the contract actually says instead of going with what the operation manager tells him? And maybe he should find out why so few contractors want to deal with Red Deer county?
I once asked my own councillor if she realized what a complete dud this manager was and she candidly admitted that he was, but they kept him around until he was going to retire in one year! Said it has got so hard to fire anybody that it was easier that way!
Never talked about why they hired this knucklehead in the first place... in a big hurry because of a hastily concieved "privatization plan" designed to take the heat off council because they had allowed the CAO to steal $3.5 million!
This is how Red Deer county operates. Everyday putting out fires for all its past mistakes! Covering up the waste and screw ups of the past! The money is rolling in so fast that they can't spend it and in a lot of cases that has saved their bacon! If the payola ever stops I suspect we will be bankrupt!