“I wonder what the due process for hiring one at UBC is. By his own admission James said that he was offered the position “in spite of my weird resume and total lack of experience in a university setting. I’m more than a little surprised that I was successful”

To my understanding the process began late last year with the striking of a full search committee….what I can’t say for sure is how far along the process was on March 8th of this year when Mr. Ridge was, according to FABula’s G&M piece, named the CoV’s chief information officer…

.

“I think we are focussed on a big agenda and that’s not the right fit for everyone. ”

(About whether he’s expecting more resignations?) “I am not anticipating, but we’re still in the midst of gearing up this year. It certainly could happen.”

“I have total confidence in Penny Ballem and she’s focussed on building a good strong team.”

“At this point we are getting fantastic productivity from staff. We’re doing more in these last several months than I think city hall has achieved in several years’ time.”

(I asked him if his demand for productivity had triggered some of the resignations.)
“Yeah, I do think that has something to do with it. Some of it is my agenda and my desire to get a lot more done at city hall, and some is the pressure of 2010 and the variety of forces that have come at us this year.
“It’s a change in how we are doing things here with a real focus on productivity, so there is undoubtedly more pressure this year, and that doesn’t work for everyone.”

Clear as mud?

Goofy: “Yeah, it’s been great. You know, it’s funny, but none of your techniques worked for me. The harder I tried the worse it got. Once I eased up, things just clicked.” A Goofy movie, 1995

Let’s look at few similarities between Larry and Gregor.
Larry – former Mayor of Vancouver; Gregor – former MLA Vancouver Fairview.
(I may add that both of them still do not know, to this day, what hit them when they entered politics)
Both of them started attracting “barnacle friends” faster than the bamboo growth habit and both of them sell short their respective constituents before the end of their terms in order to try for greener pastures. And I may add, costing the taxpayers handsomely in the due process.
In the end, we, the public, discovered that one wanted to be called Senator the other one His Worship. Regretfully, they duped us all and got away with it. People! Understand one thing; your ignorant, orgasmic voting gave those two, jobs! Well paid, great jobs.
When asked a few weeks ago on the 1410 AM’s Jen & Joe morning show, if he would like to give it a shot for the Premier’s job as with the coming Provincial election and all… Gregor said “Hyuk, hyuk, no, I only wanted to be the Mayor”.

Goofy: “Why do you always think I’m going to lead you into some kind of calamity?” A Goofy movie, 1995

I have to say that his answer disappointed me a bit because I was kind of expecting him to jump ship after under performing yet again and move up on the food chain based solely on happy juice.
Now that the great American Travelling Puppet theatre made its debut in Vancouver, Larry puts the long sad face. He pretends to care. And I am referring to an older post of him that I did not bother to respond to at the time. Oh please!
Anyway.
THIS CITY is becoming more and more the city of Oz with some profoundly deranged individuals elbowing each other for the Wizard position.

Goofy: [singing]” Do you need a break from modern living? Do you long to shed your weary load? If your nerves are raw and your brain is fried, just grab a friend and take a ride, together upon the open road.”
A Goofy movie, 1995

Something is very wrong. There’s no smoke without fire. But for some strange reason the Mayor thinks he can put it out in no time if that occurs. Well I don’t doubt that, Gregor can put it out with his big shoes, the shoes of Goofy.

We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.

PS.
Speaking of “Academia”…
I wonder what the due process for hiring one at UBC is. By his own admission James said that he was offered the position “in spite of my weird resume and total lack of experience in a university setting. I’m more than a little surprised that I was successful”
Wow!
I simply cannot believe this comments are coming from a high level, well seasoned bureaucrat.
He should know better. As much as I do appreciate his honesty, this says a lot about how jobs are handed over in yet another public funded enterprise.
O tempora o mores!

OMG is this all we can come up with.

“Ambitious agenda” You bet, Mr Canny Scot, you’ve an unhandleable debt to handle.

As for “great U.” When a university interprets academic freedom as ridding the corridors of Coke machines the word “great’ be comes errrrr . . . ummmm.

When a chief planner is foolish enought to appended his name to a doggie run, and doesn’t understand the concept “conflict of interest” to say nothing of professional integrity, again errrr ummmm.

But those are trivialities. A city that is solely dependent on Howe Street machinations and “world class/views/livable” without a wealth creating working agenda . . . then . . . huh!

How does it go? “Repeating the same mistake over and over expecting better results is a sign of insanity” then welcome to the loonie bin Vancouver!

The town has been deteriorating before ever since TEAM’s “executive city.”

Thanqxz, I’m oudda here . . .