(This article was originally titled "Who actually runs the city". It was re titled by The Province newspaper for publishing.)
November 1, 2012,
The Province by Stuart Mackinnon
It will be, arguably, the single biggest change in governance in
Vancouver since the decision at the first meeting of the city council in
1888 to create a park board. A fundamental shift in governance is
happening behind closed doors that some say is a money and power grab by
Vancouver city manager Penny Ballem and others say is the only path to
equity within our recreation system. And you don’t know anything about
it.
Community centres in Vancouver are jointly run by the Board of Parks
and Recreation and community centre associations, or CCAs. The terms of
this management structure is set out in the joint operating agreements
negotiated with each of the CCAs. The partnerships set out in the
agreements have been in existence for more than 70 years in some of the
community centres.
Volunteers at each centre have worked hard to make their individual
communities better by volunteering countless hours fundraising and
writing grants to keep the cost of programs affordable. The park board
set out to renew and renegotiate the joint operating agreements some
time ago and have met with little success. The sticking point is who
gets to keep the revenues that community centres generate.
The associations by and large run the programming at the centres and
say that they should keep the money they make to invest in equipment,
programming and facilities in their neighbourhoods.
The park board says the revenue should come to the city to be
equitably redistributed between “have” and “have not” areas of the city.
A stalemate for many years has resulted in frustration on both sides.
Enter city manager Penny Ballem, who, it has been reported, has told
the associations that now they have no choice in this — the money will
flow to the city.
The idea that the city manager would be dictating terms to what has
always been the purview of the park board is as big a shock as the
change to the joint operating agreements. Vancouver has an independent
park board with elected commissioners so that the city does not meddle
in the operations of parks and recreation.
Where are the elected commissioners in all of this?
Whether one thinks that a new fiscal arrangement between community
centres and the board is needed or not, is it not the park board,
through its staff and elected officials, who should be doing the
negotiations?
Why is the city manager — who takes her direction from the mayor’s
office — meddling in park board affairs? Why is the board rolling over
by this power grab by the city? And why is the public not in the know
about this? Change happens. Circumstances change, as do fiscal
realities. Equality is a noble goal.
No doubt the joint operating agreements need to be updated, but this
updating should be a matter between the community centre associations
and the park board.
Board staff, along with the elected commissioners, should be
negotiating with the associations. The negotiations should be done in
good faith without threats or ultimatums.
Vancouver’s Charter ensures that parks and recreation are in the hands of the citizens through their elected commissioners.
The city manager should keep her hands off of our parks and recreation.
Stuart Mackinnon was a Green Party Vancouver park board
commissioner from 2008 until last year. He continues to advocate for
parks and public spaces and writes about city issues at Betterparks.org
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/11/01/stuart-mackinnon-mayors-people-behind-power-grab-in-parks/
