Get over it

By Richard RolkeJan 03 2007 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Eyes will likely glaze over as you start reading this column, and if they do, that will pretty much confirm everything I’m about to write. Ever since the North Okanagan Regional District took out its Ginsu knife and lopped delegated authority off the Greater Vernon Services Commission, politicians have acted like a dog on a bone. The issue of governance has dominated council meetings, special meetings and one-on-one discussions. As an example of how things stay the same even as a new year begins, Vernon and Coldstream councils are hunkering down Thursday to discuss — you guessed it — governance. Consider now, that on top of the seemingly endless debate, gallons of ink has been spilled in the local media about the topic. All of this could lead one to believe that Greater Vernon governance is crucially important and the average resident is eagerly awaiting its outcome. But reality is far different than perception. Bring up governance while curling, shopping, sharing a pint or sitting across the dinner table, and the common response will be, “Who cares.” Obviously most taxpayers want assurances that their money is being well spent and the services they want are provided in a timely and efficient manner. All of this jockeying back and forth looks more like one-upmanship than actually protecting the best interest of residents. Does Joe Taxpayer care how many directors sit at GVSC or how they even got there, as long as they were elected by voters of their respective jurisdictions? There’s a concern among some Greater Vernon officials that NORD will just ignore anything recommended by GVSC. And while that happened last year over the ever-controversial issue of water rates, there’s a slim chance the regional district will actually go against the actions of GVSC. One way to avoid any future breakdown in communications is to have the same politicians sitting at both GVSC and NORD and to limit votes on Greater Vernon matters to Greater Vernon politicians and not from other communities in the region. If anything, the rhetoric and confusion among some politicians will leave residents thinking the entire system has fallen off the rails and nothing is getting done. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Parks and pools are still open and water still flows. All that changed was one political group can’t do what it pleases any more without having the approval of its governing body first. Jerry Oglow, the freshly minted NORD chairman, hopes Thursday’s meeting is the beginning of the end of the governance debate. “I don’t want them or myself to spend more time on internal workings (of bureaucracy). We need to focus on the important issues facing the region,” he said. It’s hard to disagree with that. Hopefully those elected officials who still cling to GVSC’s glory days will realize they are in the past and the clock isn’t going to turn back any time soon. NORD has re-asserted its responsibility for Greater Vernon and the sooner all politicians accept that, and learn to work within the system, the better for everyone involved, especially residents.