Mayor’s visit to Japan could cost taxpayers

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 06, 2009 4:00 PM

Taxpayers could fork out some big bucks to send Vernon’s mayor overseas. Council will consider a recommendation Monday to allow Mayor Wayne Lippert to visit Vernon’s sister city, Tome, Japan, at a cost of $5,000 in April. “The mayor of Tome has been here three times and he’s requested that our mayor go there,” said Coun. Jack Gilroy, a member of Vernon’s sister city committee. Gilroy realizes that many residents are going through challenging financial times, but he defends the expense. “We get into these programs. If you belong to something like this, you have to do it,” he said. Tome has been a participant in Vernon’s sister city program for 23 years, and the goal is to improve international relations. Lippert’s journey would be part of a trip that will see 32 local residents go to Tome, which is 500 kilometres north of Tokyo. “Everybody else pays their own way,” said Gilroy, who is not going to Japan.

Coun. Bob Spiers wants to know where the $5,000 will come from. “I’m sure it’s a worthwhile enterprise and if we can find the funds without increasing taxes, I will consider supporting it,” he said. “The mayors of our sister cities have come here before and it’s probably a thing we have to do.” Lippert has mixed views when it comes to the trip. “It’s good to send someone over to help build relationships but we have to be aware of public dollars and what it’s used for,” he said. Lippert points out that some residents criticized his going on an excursion to Modesto, Calif., another sister city, even though he paid for all of his expenses himself. Lippert is waiting to see how the council discussion unfolds Monday about the Japan trip. “It will come down to what council feels about it,” he said. “It will depend on how much they want to put into the sister city concept.”

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Sisterly spending worth support EDITORIAL Morning Star: February 06, 2009 4:00 PM

Like communities across the province, Vernon is currently going through the challenge of developing a 2009 budget. And given the global recession, the task is extremely difficult, because while there are a lot of worthwhile initiatives, cash is tight for taxpayers. Every expenditure has to be given the once-over. As a result, council may have a hard time Monday approving $5,000 for Mayor Wayne Lippert to jet over to Tome, Japan to attend a few ceremonies and shake some hands. After all, such a trip is clearly out of step with some of Lippert's constituents who have either lost their jobs or are struggling to find affordable housing. But optics aside, there must be recognition that Vernon has a sister city relationship with a number of communities around the world, and what's the point of having a program if you aren't going to actively participate? And the argument can easily be made that while officials from Tome have been to Vernon several times, the visits have rarely, if ever, been returned, and for a community as welcoming and open as Vernon, that is unfortunate. Such sister city trips are largely ceremonial to foster greater international understanding, but there can also be an economic component either through enhanced tourism or industrial investment. Lippert, though, is right to acknowledge that such trips involve taxpayers' dollars and we would hope that he will show considerable restraint if he goes to Japan. Just because $5,000 has been budgeted doesn't mean it all has to be spent. Ultimately, all activities must come under scrutiny as part of the budget, but we can't nickel and dime relationships we claim to embrace.