EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS: Try Getting a Meeting Past April With Vancouver City Manager Penny Ballem…
There is trouble in paradise, or so says a senior city hall executive.
As incredible as it may sound, Penny Ballem, the Gregor Robertson hand-picked, hamfisted city manager may be on the chopping block.
Apparently, there is some kind of discord between her and a few of her understudies, possibly including Dave McLellan, or Hollyhock disciple and American socialist import Sadhu Johnston.
Ballem, whose tenure has been remarkable in that no other past city executive has been able to get away with such viral lying and meddlesome activism, is part of the exact same political bailiwick as Mayor Moonbeam, although she is known to be the target of some Vision Vancouver operatives that prefer a smoother operator.
What will be interesting is if Ballem is truly on the bubble, then what of her contract which guarantees an obscene payout after a certain amount of years? Are they getting rid of her hoping that a younger, more palatable person will finish the city off as Vision implements the rest of their destructive agenda?
Hard to say at this point, since the discussions are known by very few people. However, I can confirm for you that the discussions to have her move along are active and fluid.
Stay tuned…for more on this story.
Well I guess someone has to take the fall! But what are they trying to cover up . . . .?
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Not sure yet, as details on the who and why are sketchy. Some want her gone now, while others are content to wait a while.
All sorts of conflicting information from inside Vision. There are a number of high powered people at the city that are fighting with themselves even. The reality is that she’s a very divisive woman and if she survives this issue of getting rid of her will come up again. You can bet on it.
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City of Vancouver taxpayers, and more importantly, the people that voted for this bunch of idiots, a question:
ARE YOU NOW HAPPY THAT INSTEAD OF LOOKING AFTER THE INTERESTS OF TAXPAYERS IN THIS CITY, THERE SEEMS TO BE INFIGHTING GOING ON, ON MULTIPLE FRONTS? IS THIS HOW A CITY SHOULD BE RUN IN TRYING ECONOMIC TIMES?
Just another, of a long list of examples that his blog and AGT have brought us, that shows that Vision are not fit to govern.
Oh well, be careful what you wish (vote) for………..
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NOTE TO READERS: SUPERB COMMENT–REQUIRED READING..
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Why bother with discussions? It’s not like she knows much about running a City or keeping talented staff and she’s proven that hamfistedly.
Why not offer her a job as Police Chief or Fire Chief or Riot Squad Sargent instead? She seems to know how to run command over them already, no?
Keep her on the payroll until her term runs out. There’ll be much work soon on road repairs this Spring/Summer so instead of hiring temps they could hand her a broom to follow the asphalt trucks. Actually she could provide her own broom. The one she rides to work on.
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NOTE TO READERS: SUPERB COMMENT–REQUIRED READING.
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most interesting alex,
sooner or later a manager can keep havinng issues to the point that the theyy lose their best talent
now since the ethical brains have left the pressore is on and she has never been up to it
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Exactly.
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I’m not sure which is more revolting.
That fact that she is still recieving a City of Van pay cheque OR that the City of Van will have to pay this Vampyre of city employee morale a undeserved massive severance.
Alex.
Is it just me , or is anyone else SICK and TIRED of every and any politician handing out $100 of thousands (if not millions a la David Hahn) of taxpayer dollars as severance to party hacks, incompetant workers or downright buffons?
What is the deal? Why dont we have a law passed that has an arbitration committee making these desicions instead of friends handing aquaintances money…….?
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OR if you’re being paid an exorbitant amount, you get not a penny more than one half year’s salary if you’re fired in the first five years. MAX!
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Good idea and , I believe, private industry standard for executives at her level. 6 months severance for termination with less than 5 years employment seems fair enough to the average taxpayer.
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Isn’t she the idiot who bogarted a ladder truck’s radio during the riot? Correct me if I’m wrong…..
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You are correct!
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I KNEW IT!!! Someone of my law enforcement friends that were down there dealing with those idiots were stunned at her audacity.
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“a younger more palatable person”
The irritating part for me, even though I agree Ballem should go…
The agism mentality of Vision gets my goat…opps that another story entirely.
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It’s not ageism at all. They want someone who is more hip to THEIR political lingo or destructive policies delivered in a smoother packaging.
Perhaps I didn’t articulate it as best I could’ve.
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Oh I got it, I was being flip…I thought my Goat reference gave it away
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Just wait until Adrian Dickhead and his idiots push out Ms. Tempest in her D-cup (and HER Idiots) and form our next government. Then wait until the scandals of all Adrian’s “trustworthy” folk raise their ugly little heads. Maybe Justin Trudeau should move west and have a boxing match here. Tatoos are in apparently. Wonder if Christy has one, what it is, and where it is. And of course she’s never smoked pot. Ever. Of course, if she did she didn’t inhale.
Maybe someone should ask Quisty about her “Mary Jane” use, ’cause the way she spoke the other day of blithering Bill’s show she might have made more sense if she were stoned. Might have given her an imagination.
Cummings & company are all religious, homophobic bigots.
Hopefully byebye Penny, and let’s hope the scandal will take Mayor Moonbeam with you.
GRRRRR
PS.
For me, I did my pot. About 6 times, 30 years ago. Didn’t like it. I tried Cocaine and did like it. So much, that I only did it twice. Because I realized that I would destroy my life.
Decent Single Malt…. well gee.
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In reviewing remuneration of regional health care administrators, I found multiple examples of executives in public service getting large payouts on leaving a position, whether for no cause or failures in competence. Similarly, big payouts may happen even if the person quickly finds alternative employment. There are examples of top people getting 6-figure payouts at two or more public institutions within a handful of years. Even a routine age-based retirement for a senior official leaving with a lucrative pension, is sweetened with a pile of cash by way of termination bonus.
Managers know that if he/she approves generous termination settlements for colleagues, the favour will be repaid down the road. That by itself encourages ever larger payouts. Boards often rely on compensation consultants but these people understand from the beginning that they won’t be rehired if they don’t produce desired (always generous) recommendations.
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if we were to look at all of the cost to run the health care authorities, and the non profit service providers in bc it would shock you,
duplication of services and the micro managed turf wars
all theese extra cost end up being taken from the front line.services
and the people in need are the true losers
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These payoffs are indeed abhorrent. This 1 month per year should be legislated to a max of say 1 years pay. Maybe Vision will slip in that defeated Councillors should get severance… Now that’s farsighted.
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LOL! Very good point!
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I really must submit to at least one of the inexorable inconveniences of age and start wearing my reading glasses.
In the second sentence I mistread “city” as oily.
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And if I’d been wearing my reading glasses I’d have caught the misspelled ‘misread’.
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Great news! I hope they spend as much money as they need to inorder to vacate her.
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Alex,
Vision needs a scape goat for (FILL IN THE BLANK).
Last years Hayes report said Vancouver has worst moral of any government. So is it now worse?
The city is broke and getting broker.
Olympic Village still a mess.
Budget and process is more broken than at any other time.
All transparency and openness at City Hall is gone.
Planning is non existent.
To many un tendered contracts to friends?
And so on and on and on.
How much will this cost us: $400,000 plus? Has she got a better offer and Vision wants to give her a good bye gift on our dime?
3 more years of destruction remaining.
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I’m not sure. She is denying it to Jeff Lee of the Sun, but notice how Lee is couching his story by saying if she’s gone in some months, we’ll know the denials were bogus. The reality is that SEVERAl well-placed Vision Vancouver sources have told me that, for them, she is on the chopping block, for many of the reasons you mentioned above, but also because she’s too difficult to handle.
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The stories I’ve heard about her treatment of staff in front of others as well as barging into meetings, telling those there what they have to do and then leaving from those there are horrific.
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Quite simply, Ballem is a crazy person. Grabbing a mic from a fire crew and barking orders at first responders is the kind of loony behavior that we shouldn’t be pay for like this. Shame! The antics you hear about are ongoing–nothing’s changed.
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The Vampire isn’t “out” – she is just finished. They have to set up whatever exit scenario will pay her the most. If its being “fired” they will fire her – if it’s something else they will do it. She’s finished her work. They are letting her go with the biggest reward possible.
I’m sure she is also causing legitimate internal issues – but she is too close to the inside to be thrown out with big pay and agreements to silence.
It’s amazing and disgusting that Vancouver could not come with enough electable people to take out the agenda of Robertson and Soloman – it doesnt take a lot of salt to change the flavor of a meal, but we couldn’t even do that.
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Lest we forget Vision/COPE works on multiple fronts. The political situation at the VSB is nothing short of embarrassing to watch. I don’t know the real story behind Mr. Denike’s apparent faux pas re: homophobia, but I believe he is getting unfairly railroaded by the vile and always opportunistic Patti Bacchus along with the rest of their thugs.
Any chance Vision is trying to link the NPA to Burnaby’s Parent’s Voice – particularly through Sophia Woo (who appears to be an easy target), but the real juicy prize being Denike’s reputation?
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Total agreement.
Not sure about how Sophia is getting tagged. I know both she and Ken are being unfairly targeted, on the other hand, I don’t think they should have done what they did and thought it wouldn’t get used by the people behind the video.
The gay community should be celebrated and homosexuality should be embraced as it’s simply another form of love, in addition to heterosexuality.
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Yes – they both definitely made some mistakes, and I genuinely believe they did not expect the videos to get doctored and abused. As for the picnic I’m not sure what that was.
I really don’t think Ken is trying to be anti-anti-homophobia. And he did raise a legitimate concern about the links on the Out in Schools website.
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Absolutely. I totally agree with you. I’ve known Ken for twenty years. He’s a good guy who makes mistakes like we all do. But he’s not anti-gay. I can confirm that.
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bad karma has a way of biting you on the ass when you least expect it.
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Yes, it does.
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If Ballem leaves, what will Gregor do for a brain? Is there one in a jar somewhere for him?
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AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Loved that! “Is there one in a jar somewhere for him>”
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
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