Editor:
Re: Ethics commissioner, new code of conduct coming to New West city council
While I am wholeheartedly in favour of a code of conduct bylaw for New Westminster, I am vehemently opposed to hiring an ethics commissioner to enforce it. New West would be the third B.C. municipality to have such a commissioner, behind Vancouver and Surrey. Of note is that both cities have seven to eight times our population and well over half a million people each; compared to about 80,000 in New West. That is a significantly larger tax base to shoulder such an expense. There are about 20 other Lower Mainland municipalities that manage without an ethics commissioner.
Is the integrity of city council that questionable?
While an ethics commissioner sounds progressive on the surface, it is an unnecessary expense that should be handled with existing controls. It is yet another example of New Westminster’s big-city spending on a small city budget.
Last week’s online Record poll showed 59% of respondents supported the idea of a city ethics commissioner. I wonder if those same people would vote “Yes” to “Do you support New Westminster hiring for a position that 90% of other Lower Mainland municipalities deem unnecessary?” or “Do you support New Westminster’s Community First party appointing the city ethics commissioner?”. If the city proceeds with hiring an ethics commissioner, both of those statements will also be true.
The conspiracy theorist in me questions if this is ultimately a ploy by Community First to appoint an NDP affiliate to repress the upstart Progressives. Time will tell.
Its hard to argue against ethics, but creating an unnecessary, perpetual tax burden is something that should be examined. Once an ethics commissioner is in place, it will be virtually impossible for any elected official to support its elimination. Please look past the word “ethics” and question what we will really be getting for our money.
Brent Mitchell
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