Vancouverites in the Caboose of the Gravy Train

August 31, 2010

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A Vancouver activist writes in about the change in City Managers at America’s Vancouver:

Yogi Berra (baseball great) said, “It’s like deja-vu, all over again.”

Not too long ago, we had the City of Vancouver Economic Development Manager Steve Burdick, who, in my opinion, worked very closely on deals with Killiam Pacific (sp), (Monterey Hotel, The Fred Myers Project on Highway 14 and the New Library to mention a few), suddenly quit and went to work as Killiam Pacific’s Economic Development Manager. How about that.  I don’t think he took a pay cut.

Now we have the City Manager, who, with taxpayer resources, helped SEH buy the Hewlett-Packard Property, where SEH may build someday. Earlier this month he borrowed and spent 1.1 million tax dollars we don’t have (we have a 10 million dollars shortfall and are laying of policemen/fireman and closing a fire station) to develop wetlands for SEH. In 2005 he lobbied the state to Give SEH a Tax Break (AKA a Legal Kickback). 

After all that free help at taxpayer’s expense Pat McDonnell, Vancouver City Manager, is quitting his Paltry $171,650.00 (plus auto and other expenses) dollar job to go to work for a company he spent years helping.  Can you believe that? I bet he will not be taking a pay cut either. 

Talk about a Light Rail the Gravy Train, it looks like we have another Gravy Train leaving the station. When is the city council going to pass an ordinance that will prohibit City Employees, who have the power to Lobby, Negotiate Contracts, Expend Tax Payer Dollars, from accepting employment with companies that are recipients of the city’s in kind help, tax breaks, city contracts and/or our hard earned tax dollars.   

The minimum waiting time to shift from the Work Train to the Gravy Train should be 5 years.

And so it goes.

Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com