Mission Messenger September 2011 Ted Adlem—Mayor Dave Hensman—Council Tony Luck— Council Nelson Tilbury Council Jenny Stevens—Council Jeff Jewell—Council Larry Nundal—Council The Candidates Despite ever increasing taxes and shrink- ing reserves Mayor & Council continue to claim that all is well with the District’s finances. Yet in a report to Council on 5th Septem- ber the Director of Finance sounded loud alarm bells. He pointed out that further borrowing will be necessary this year and that there are insufficient funds for planned capital pro- jects and even for road maintenance. He stated: “It should be noted that most of the Dis- trict's reserve funds are not at their opti- mal policy levels and they are currently compromised due to the funding of existing internal loans and the funding of other emergent, non-planned projects. Furthermore, it is likely that the reserve funds will have to fund additional internal loans before the end of the year as Develop- ment Cost Charge collections are insuffi- cient. The District also has a list of unfunded capi- tal projects which are on hold pending addi- tional funding which includes the major road rehabilitation program. Our general operating fund surplus is also below the recommended or optimal level.” District Admits Financial Crisis Despite increased taxes, insufficient reserves for planned projects or road maintenance CRMG to support Council Team Jenny Stevens joins CRMG Election Team See: The Candidates P.3 , The Program P.2 CRMG Team Multi Talented • Significant government experience at the Provincial and Municipal levels. • Senior management experience in ma- jor corporations. • Experience of owning and managing businesses. • Experience of financial management. See page 3
Transcript
Mission
Messenger
September 2011
Ted Adlem—Mayor Dave Hensman—Council Tony Luck— Council
Nelson Tilbury Council Jenny Stevens—Council Jeff Jewell—Council Larry Nundal—Council
The Candidates
Despite ever increasing taxes and shrink-
ing reserves Mayor & Council continue to
claim that all is well with the District’s
finances.
Yet in a report to Council on 5th Septem-
ber the Director of Finance sounded loud
alarm bells.
He pointed out that further borrowing will
be necessary this year and that there are
insufficient funds for planned capital pro-
jects and even for road maintenance.
He stated:
“It should be noted that most of the Dis-
trict's reserve funds are not at their opti-
mal policy levels and they are currently
compromised due to the funding of existing
internal loans and the funding of
other emergent, non-planned projects.
Furthermore, it is likely that the reserve
funds will have to fund additional internal
loans before the end of the year as Develop-
ment Cost Charge collections are insuffi-
cient.
The District also has a list of unfunded capi-
tal projects which are on hold pending addi-
tional funding which includes the major
road rehabilitation program.
Our general operating fund surplus is also
below the recommended or optimal level.”
District Admits Financial Crisis
Despite increased taxes, insufficient reserves for
planned projects or road maintenance
CRMG to support Council Team
Jenny Stevens joins CRMG Election Team
See: The Candidates P.3 , The Program P.2
CRMG Team
Multi Talented
• Significant government experience at
the Provincial and Municipal levels.
• Senior management experience in ma-
jor corporations.
• Experience of owning and managing
businesses.
• Experience of financial management.
See page 3
Page 2
CRMG Policies When members of CRMG decided to form a team to contest the
next election, we were adamant that we were not forming a Mu-
nicipal Political Party.
The CRMG team has members of the Conservative, Liberal and
NDP parties. Party politics has no place in Municipal Government.
The team has differing views on a number of municipal issue.
What unites the team is our desire to stop Mission’s slide into dis-
aster.
To achieve this we have an action plan which is practical, achiev-
able and essential to Mission’s future.
Spending and the Budget
Increases by Department 2005 - 2011
2005 2011 %age Increase
$ $
Corporate Administration 1,966,444 3,363,175 71.0
Inspection Services 724,175 1,253,680 73.1
Engineering 944,870 1,630,548 72.6
Police 6,417,147 11,566,611 80.2
Fire 1,437,071 3,443,164 139.6
General Government 2,767,236 8,916,756 222.2
Payroll Overhead 3,332,950 5,715,316 71.5
Clearly, this recklessness cannot continue.
The CRMG team will take immediate and decisive action to halt
this rush to disaster.
• An immediate freeze on all discretionary expenditures and on
hiring additional staff until a Core Service Review is con-
ducted.
• We will commission a Core Service Review, to be completed
within three months. This review will examine all Municipal
services and projects as to their necessity and affordability.
• The efficiency of the delivery of services will be closely scru-
tinised.
• The first order of business for the new Council is the prepara-
tion of the Provisional Budget. Staff will be instructed to pro-
duce a budget at 90% of 2011 levels. This does not mean we
can promise to produce a 10% reduction in taxes, but it does
mean there will have to be very strong justification for any
expenditures above 90% of 2011 levels.
• It will be made abundantly clear to staff that we expect these
savings to be produced by a close examination and justifica-
tion of every single item in the budget, not by the lazy route of
cutting essential or popular programs
• Currently there are planned capital expenditures of around
$125 million. In our front page story the District’s Finance
Director makes it very clear that the funds for these programs
simply do not exist. We will produce a capital program that
meets the legitimate aspirations of Mission citizens but which
they can also afford.
It is easy to make irresponsible promises as part of a “vision” but the taxpayers’ resources are not unlimited.
CRMG will always remember it is your money we are spending
Continued Page 7
Page 3
Meet the Team
Ted Adlem for Mayor I am proud to lead what is probably the
most talented and committed group of can-
didates ever to run for office in Mission.
Make no mistake; it will take a team with a
wide range of talents to undo the harm of
the last few years.
Our team does have that range of talents.
We have candidates who have run success-
ful businesses in hard economic times
We have candidates with extensive experi-
ence in senior positions in both Municipal
and Provincial governments.
We have candidates who have held senior
positions in successful and demanding ma-
jor corporations.
We have candidates with experience in the
construction, development and property
management fields—essential if we are to
attract business and reduce the homeowner
tax burden.
Ted is the son of a career military officer
and spent his early years on military bases
all over Canada and in Germany.
He has lived in Mission for 30 years.
Most of his working life has been spent in
the food services industry beginning with
the Ships of the Seven Seas in North Van-
couver and including 13 years with
Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada.
For 15 years he has owned his own busi-
ness, Pete’s Pizza in Mission which has 16
employees. This has been a very success-
ful business in an industry where failure is
more the rule than the exception.
Throughout that time he has been an ac-
tive member of Mission’s small business
community
He has been an active member of Mission
Regional Chamber of Commerce since
1997.
In 2001 he was the Chair of the New
Building Committee. That committee was
responsible for the construction of the cur-
rent Chamber building. That building was
the first in Mission to utilise geo-thermal
technology for heating in the winter and
cooling in the summer.
He has served on many Chamber Commit-
tees, including serving as President in
2002 & 2003.
From 2004 until 2008 he served on the
Provincial Board of the British Columbia
Restaurant and Food Service Association,
representing the Fraser Valley area.
He is a Past-President of the Mission
Horse Club.
He serves on the Board of the Mission
Community Foundation and is a member
of the Mission Rotary Sunrise Club.
Dave Hensman for Councillor
Dave Hensman comes from four genera-tions of construction and management ex-
perience.
He began in the construction industry as a teenager in the family business. Since graduating from college in 1986 with his Bachelor’s degree he has been involved in the construction and renovation of residen-tial and commercial buildings. He estab-lished a small management company man-aging commercial and residential projects
in 1987.
He sub-contracted to Teamwork Property Management in 2001. Within a year he be-came the owner and managing broker. He completed the licensed Brokerage program from Sauder School of business at UBC when Strata Management came under the licensing authority of the Real Estate Board
in 2006.
Hensman has owned Teamwork Property Management for almost ten years and since that time it has grown to be a well respected company in the Strata Property Manage-ment profession serving the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley of British
Columbia.
In the past, he has served his local commu-
nity as an RCMP Police Chaplain, and as a
Pastor.
He was involved in establishing “1-800 Hit Home” a crisis telephone line for Canadian youth and he served on a board for commu-
nity housing and development.
Hensman currently serves on a the Non Profit boards of; “Nex Gen World Leader-ship,” specializing in leadership develop-ment in developing nations, and “Camp Lu-
ther,” a local camp for youth and families.
He is a member of the Mission Chamber of Commerce and is also a published musi-
cian.
Hensman has travelled to 23 Countries and has worked with many municipal govern-ments in the developing world; hosting seminars and conferences on leadership de-velopment, and proven economic and pub-
lic health strategies.
Dave and his family have resided in Mis-sion at Ivy Cottage since 1998. Their eldest daughter and son in-law are studying in Maryland, USA, and their youngest daugh-
ter is currently attending a local college.
Continued Page 4
I believe my business background has pre-
pared me well for this position.
It has been a great experience working for and serving the people of the Fraser Valley
and Greater Vancouver as we help our cli-ent’s manage their most important invest-
ment … their home.
We have had a few bumps along the way and we have made a few mistakes. We
have paid for those mistakes as we should, but most importantly we have become a
better company learning from all of our
experiences.
I believe Mission has suffered greatly from
a lack of business acumen on Council and I believe that, in conjunction with the rest of
our team, I can contribute to filling the
void that currently so obviously exists.
But man does not live by bread alone and,
with my passion for music, I bring a strong
commitment to arts and culture.
Above all Council must have a clear moral
compass and I believe passionately in treating all citizens with fairness, justice
and respect.
Page 4
Jeff Jewell for Councillor
My degree in Engineering and a lengthy
career in management within municipal
government provides a strong appreciation
of the responsibilities and challenges, es-
pecially related to the continual need to
"do more with less". That's why innovative
and effective leadership are so important.
As a relative newcomer to Mission, I rec-
ognize its positive qualities and the poten-
tial for improvement, which is why new
leadership is so important
.As a retiree living on a reduced income, I
am well aware of the impact of higher
taxation.
I would be strongly committed to keeping
the budget in check and ensuring that citi-
zens receive the best value for their tax
dollar
Jeff is married, with two children and five
grand-children. He moved to Mission in
2005; retired in 2006.
He is a graduate U of Toronto, 1964, BA
Sc (Engineering Physics) Much of his ca-
reer was spent in Information Technology.
His experience includes working for IBM
(Toronto), McMaster U (Hamilton ON), U
de Bruxelles (Brussels Belgium), Alberta
Govt Telephones (Edmonton), Alberta
Municipal Affairs (Edmonton), City of
Burnaby
He has 25 years management experience
with responsibility for budgets, recruiting,
staff management and responsibility for
for systems hardware and software selec-
tion and implementation. He was two-time
president of the Urban and Regional Infor-
mation Systems Association of BC.
He was the team statistician for Edmonton
Oilers hockey club (1983-90) and devel-
oped the first game-time data acquisition
and analysis systems.
He was formerly owner/partner in small
retail clothing business (1995-2000 at
Lonsdale Quay, in North Vancouver)
He has 18 years experience in political ac-
tivism.
His primary interests have been economic
sovereignty and social justice.
He was actively involved in the BC elec-
toral reform study and campaigns.
He is a former co-host (with wife Diana) of a bi-weekly political affairs program on CFRO 102.7fm Vancouver radio.
Tony Luck for Councillor As a taxpayer here in Mission I
want to run for Mission council because I feel I have something to offer the taxpay-
ers of Mission if only to bring a more
openness and inclusiveness to council.
I believe that all governments at all levels
in Canada are out of control in the way they tax and spend and it is time to bring a
fresh and more open look at the govern-ance we have here in Mission to see where
we can bring efficiency to the city.
I feel it is time for a new generation of politician in Canada to manage the change
in confidence that the average taxpayer, voter and resident is having with many
governments across Canada and espe-
cially in cities and municipalities.
People are beginning to realize that the public sector needs to be more account-
able and cannot continue to assume the
taxpayer has a bottomless pocket.
Politicians through the ballot box are
hired by the voter and need to be a lot more accountable to the process and the
taxpayer.
As a financial advisor I understand the need for balanced budget and common
Tony Luck and his family have lived in the
Fraser Valley for close to thirty years.
In that time he has raised six children, com-pleted one career at BC Hydro and is cur-rently a consultant with Investors Group
Financial Services in Abbotsford.
While living in the Fraser Valley Tony completed not only a business degree from the University of the Fraser Valley he also recently completed his Bachelor of Arts
with a History Major.
He loves and appreciates the ability of local citizens like himself to have access to post secondary education close to home. His passion for the university runs deep and is currently serving as the chairman of the
UFV Alumni Association.
Tony has always had a passion for the po-litical process and was involved in the de-velopment of the Abbotsford Ratepayers Association in Abbotsford and served as Vice-Chair until he moved to Mission about
two and a half years ago.
As a financial advisor Tony understands the struggle many families have in meeting day to day living expenses and believes in fiscal responsibility at all levels of government
and especially at the municipal level.
sense fiscal accountability.
Families in Canada and especially in Mis-
sion and finding harder and harder to make
ends meet.
Local governments cannot continue to
spend at twice the rate of inflation while
family income continues to be squeezed.
I would like an opportunity to work with a group of individuals willing to work at
bringing a more responsible approach to
municipal financing and decision making.
I believe that renewal in any aspect of life
is a good thing and this includes politics.
Process and people can become stale and too comfortable and a process of renewal
can bring new ideas and perspectives.
Mission has a number of challenges mov-
ing forward into the future and I believe it is time for a new council to be in tune with
the voter and a new perspective to the gov-
ernance of Mission.
I look forward to serving the voters of Mis-
sion and working to improve the relation-
ship with many in the city.
Contact the Candidates
We welcome your comments and questions.
Over the next two and a half months we will try to
My main goal is to apply the brakes to the unnecessary “spending spree” on which the
current council has embarked .
This includes the bloated level of manage-
ment at city hall and the corresponding fat-
cat payroll.
In the past 5 years the number of those earning $100,000 or more has increased
from 6 to 17 and still growing. In the same period the number of employees earning
$75,000 or more has almost doubled to 39. Accordingly, the payroll in this area has
increased from $2,000,000 to $4,000,000.
It’s clear to me that it is high time that a
core-services review be undertaken; similar to that commissioned by the City of Pentic-
ton and some other local governments..
Larry and his wife Andrea have lived in
Mission for 32 years.
His education and working background has primarily been in the field of building tech-
nology and municipal management.
He has 30 years working experience in lo-cal government; 20 of those years in a sen-ior managerial position with the District of
Mission.
While with Mission, his duties included being the staff member responsible for the construction of a number of building pro-jects and ensuring that the District received
the best value for the dollars spend.
Those included the library and fire hall number one. Both projects were completed under budget and considerably lower in unit costs in than that of similar projects constructed in other lower mainland com-
munities.
He has an excellent working knowledge of
the legislation governing local government, including the Community Charter and sec-tions of the Local Government Act perti-
nent to Mission.
He is also extremely familiar with the op-
erations and budget process in Mission.
Since his retirement from Mission in 2005 he has endeavoured to keep up to speed in those areas and has attended most of the administration and finance committee meetings of council dealing with the
budget.
He has also acted as a municipal council watch dog and an advocate for those who he believes have been wronged by the ac-
tions of local government.
In particular, over the last two years, he has devoted enormous amounts of time and ex-pertise to assist those citizens wrongly ac-cused under the ill-fated PSIT/Grow Op
Bylaw.
Although his position at the District of Mis-sion was Chief Building Inspector he has considerable knowledge of the operations of other departments such as Engineering
and Planning.
Jenny Stevens for Councillor
Why am I asking to be re-elected to Coun-
cil?
There is much work to be done and I be-lieve my abilities, dedication, and experi-
ence will serve the interests of my fellow citizens.
My priorities will be:
Financial responsibility –a thorough review
of how our tax dollars are spent and a pol-icy of look at mending before spending;
Accountability – Minimal Closed Council
discussions and prompt release of informa-tion; Effective, responsive communication
with the public by Council and Staff and on-going personal accessibility to every-
one;
Increased external investment in Mission – Open-minded and welcoming approach to-
wards potential investors; adaptability and measures to encourage spending dollars
staying in Mission.
Responsible Development – Ensure that development proposals meet the needs and
enhance the present and future lifestyle of the community. Encourage developments
which offer more local job opportunities and secure an adequate public transport
system.
I am impressed with my fellow CRMG can-didates and together I believe we will serve
Mission well.
Jenny Stevens has often been the lone voice for commonsense and justice on the current Council, especially throughout the PSIT debacle and the scandalous hiring of
a Council spin doctor.
Jenny is the mother of six and grandmother
of 12;
Her physical handicap of blindness has never prevented Jenny from achieving her
goals or from serving others.
She has practiced private and hospital based physiotherapy in Canada, Brazil and
the U.K.
She has owned or operated property rental, sales, office services, flying club and boat-
yard businesses (Brazil and U.K.);
She has taught ESL, Speech craft, and Pa-thology and Treatment Techniques (Brazil
and Canada);
She has served as District of Mission Mu-
nicipal Councillor since 1999.
Her contributions have been recognized by
a variety of awards including:
2003 Mission Pathfinder
2005 Myrtle Evertt Woman of the Year
2010 BC Library Trustees’ Association
Super Trustee
She has served on many Boards including:
University of the Fraser Valley,
Fraser Valley Regional Library,
Mission Association for Community Liv-
ing
Mission Community Services
Mission Historical Society
Lifetime Learning
Welton Towers.
She was a founding member of:
Fraser Valley Humane Society
Business and Professional Womens’ Asso-
ciation.-Mission .
Her personal interests include family & friends, reading & music history & current affairs, brain teasers, card/board games and
one memorable occasion skydiving!
Her basic philosophy is “Can’t” means
“find out how”.
Jenny’s integrity and courage in so often being a lone voice on Council makes her
an invaluable member of the CRMG team.
Her twelve years of Council experience
will also be of immense benefit.
Page 6
Nelson Tilbury for Councillor
Simply stated I am interested in
helping make Mission a better place.
It does have so much going for it.
I have an extensive history working with
people, government, public and private sec-
tor.
I understand finance,
I can read a financial statement and under-
stand cash flow projections. Both my boys
are accountants.
I have been a government appointee, sat on
committees, negotiated on behalf of too
many people to mention.
I come from a humble background and built
what I have myself.
I have always worked hard to stay on the
high road.
I have been appalled to see the mismanage-
ment of Mission Council.
I would like to devote my experience and
knowledge towards setting Mission once
again on a sound financial footing. The
citizens of Mission deserve nos.
Nelson grew up in Steelhead attending Ce-
dar Valley school and graduating Mission
Senior Secondary High School in 1971.
His early years after graduation were taken
up apprenticing as a welder and a heavy
duty mechanic. He worked on the West
Coast in several coastal operations moving
eventually to Finning Tractor. Here he
worked as a Field Mechanic.
Running parallel to this was a small real
estate portfolio he started to build mostly
consisting of rentals
In 1981 he left Finning and started his own
equipment repair company. He used this
company to buy into a larger company,
Transglobal Equipment. Transglobal con-
sisted of equipment sales and leasing, ser-
vice, welding and paint shops. The com-
pany employed approximately 40 people.
This company was eventually split and he
took part of it and built Phoenix Industrial
Coating. This was another successful com-
pany working with fleet painting located in
Port Kells’
In 1989 he sold the operations and moved
to the Okanagan and built Sage Meadows
between Keremeos and Penticton
BC. Sage Meadows was a beautiful horse
operation working with some of British
Columbia’s leading trailers as a turn out
facility. Meanwhile, he turned to a career
in Real Estate, becoming a successful
Realtor. Eventually, after going back to
school and a lot of other training he moved
from Realtor to Agent, as defined by the
Act and took ownership of a Re/Max of-
fice which he built up to a very successful
business.
Around 2006 there were some very life
changing experiences involving two acci-
dents and an illness. Nelson and his wife
decided that they needed to do a few things
for themselves before leaving the planet.
They decided to go sailing. We sold every-
thing. Arranged to have all trheir affairs
managed from offshore and had a sailboat
built for them. The sailboat, Stormcat, was
sent to Vancouver where they set of for a 3
year adventure. They came back here when
the weather was better.
After doing this for 3 years they decided to
return to Canada. They did a lot of search-
ing and rediscovered Mission, buying a
small home and a little acreage close to the
horse club on Kirkpatrick Ave.
On November 19th vote for the change we desperately need
Ted Adlem Mayor
Dave Hensman Councillor
Jeff Jewell Councillor
Tony Luck Councillor
Larry Nundal Councillor
Jenny Stevens Councillor
Nelson Tilbury Councillor
Page 7
Continued from Page 2
The Waterfront
It is easy to make extravagant promises that it is impossible to
keep. The current council has certainly done this with the water-
front.A recent Council publication said, “imagine waking to the
cry of the gulls wheeling over the river. Dressing quickly in your
spacious condo, you walk to your favourite coffee shop for break-
fast. Your village neighbourhood, tasteful and welcoming, is a
walker's haven, and you say good morning to friends “
Very impressive but the reality is that Council has spent hundreds
of thousands on studies and produced nothing.
This pretty picture conceals the fact that infrastructure costs alone
will exceed $50 million—which the District does not have. Nor
does the District own a significant portion of the land
It is clear that Mission cannot afford to develop the waterfront it-
self. It will have to be done in conjunction with a major developer
and the current landowners.
Unbelievably there has been no dialogue with the people who actu-
ally own the land.
CRMG will immediately engage the landowners and potential de-
velopers in discussions. This will establish what is practicable and
affordable in today’s economy. Only then can a practical plan and
timescale be produced.
CRMG will not pursue plans to put a City Hall, Police Detachment
and Library on the waterfront. This valuable land should be tax
producing not tax consuming.
The PSIT Debacle
Hundreds of innocent citizens had their homes searched under this
ill-advised program.
The District has been forced to apologise and return fines to many
citizens. Cases under review that would almost certainly result in
more refunds are now on hold because the District has been served
with a lawsuit which has the potential to cost the District millions
of dollars.
A new Council will, somehow, have to unscramble this mess.
CRMG will immediately abandon this program except where an
RCMP investigation has established a grow-op existed.
No citizen will ever face fines or other sanctions without due proc-
ess being followed and evidence rather than opinion being pro-
duced.
The Spin Doctor
For the first time in its history Mission Council, with only Jenny
Stevens opposed, decided (in a secret meeting) to hire a spin doc-
tor.
The purpose was to improve Council’s image with the public.
This would be done by arranging meetings with the local media
before public announcement of Council activities to put a positive
spin on the issue when the public announcement was finally made.
The timing made it clear that this was a transparent attempt by the
current Council to get the taxpayers to fund their re-election cam-
paign.
CRMG will immediately terminate this position.
We will communicate with citizens directly.
If a decision is unpopular we will “take our lumps.”
Mission citizens deserve upfront honesty not this cynical attempt
to manipulate them
The Culture of Secrecy
In the first six months of 2011 Mission Council unbelievably held
more closed, secret meetings than open meetings.
They recently admitted that none of these meetings were closed
in accordance with the Community Charter. Worse, they admitted
to falsifying the minutes after the event to imply they had be-
haved in accordance with the law.
In one meeting in February alone they discussed an astonishing
21 items that should have been discussed in public.
CRMG will end this culture of secrecy.
We will strictly abide by the Community Charter, which limits
closed meetings to items such as legal, land purchase and person-
nel issues.
If an issue is embarrassing we will still discuss it in public and
take any resulting heat.
After all, it is the peoples’ business.
Planning Processes A major hurdle in attracting business to Mission is our reputation
for being a difficult place to do business.
CRMG will make it a top priority to streamline our application
processes.
This does not mean giving developers “carte blanche” to do as
they please, it simply means eliminating needless delay and bu-
reaucracy.
A New Era for Mission
• CRMG does not claim to have all the answers but our team brings a wide range of skills
and experience to the election process.
• Our candidates have managed large, complex departments in Municipal and Provincial
Governments.
• Our team has had to meet payroll and balance budgets in difficult economic times.
• We have a commitment to sound financial management.
• We will end the culture of secrecy.
• We will deal honestly and openly with citizens without the benefit of a spin doctor.
• Watch future issues of the Mission Messenger for more detail on our plans to rescue
Mission from its slide to disaster.
A word about Campaign
Financing
By combining our efforts the CRMG team has a campaign budget
(including the Mission Messenger) which will be less per candi-
date than the average expenditure of candidates elected in the 2008
election.
About CRMG
CRMG is a grass roots organisation with over 120 members.
It is non-partisan and dedicated solely to improving Municipal
Government in Mission.
It was officially constituted on August 6th and has recently incor-
porated as a non-profit organisation.
On November 19th vote for the change we desperately need
