It’s time to move on

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/ EDITORIAL Dec.8
Most residents probably could care less about procedural changes to Greater Vernon governance. Whether you call it a commission or a committee, big deal.
It’s a subject that really only turns on politicians, bureaucrats and the media. However, the fact there appears to be a resolution to more than a year of conflict should be greeted warmly by even the most jaded voter. Consider that countless hours have been spent by politicians and administrators at the City of Vernon, District of Coldstream and North Okanagan Regional District trying to sort the mess out. Obviously this time could have been better used focused on actual services that impact residents’ lives daily. The apparent differences of opinion and confusion over the issue also left many wondering if their elected officials had lost direction. And of course there’s been a cost to this. There’s been legal opinions and endless rows of bureaucrats sitting at meetings. At a time when money is tight for many rank-and-file citizens, this whole expenditure has seemed frivolous. While there are some politicians who aren’t happy with NORD’s decision to remove GVSC’s authority, we would hope they will let sleeping dogs lie. A majority of directors have agreed to this and it is time to move on. There are far bigger issues to address. As freshly minted chairman Jerry Oglow said Wednesday, “The biggest priority is to put the public back in public service. I’d like us to spend more time on things important to the public and less time on the internal workings here.” Who can argue with that?