Kudos to GlobalTV BC for making the avoidable expense of the December 8th $85,000 Inauguration bash in honour of Gregor Robertson and his Vision/COPE team on Council. The story (video link here) led tonight's evening broadcast of BC's highest-rated TV news program.
The subject of the cost of Vision's Inauguration bash was some of our first reporting when we turned the lights on here at CityCaucus Tower. The $85,000 expense we've since learned does not include staff overtime, nor are the nearly two dozen fire, police and paramedic team members present listed on the accounting for the lavish party in honour of their own electoral success.
Since Vision took the helm questions have been raised about millions in needless costs being foisted on City taxpayers:
- The Louie/Jang Firehall 15 pet project added $1.6 million in costs for a 1913 wooden heritage building only a handful of citizens, and no firefighters, actually want to spare
- $10,000,000 for the 350-seat York Theatre renovation of a derelict building in the City's industrial district
- $700,000 estimated cost for the needless sacking of City Manager Judy Rogers just months before Vancouver's largest event in over 20 years, the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games
- $60,000 to hire PR flacks Hoggan & Associates to spin the Olympic Athletes Village story into a Billion Dollar Blunder
- And of course the aforementioned nearly six-figure pat on the back to themselves, the December Inauguration
CityCaucus.com will continue to keep our calculators handy and pencils sharpened as we tally up the avoidable costs being racked up by this Council.
I think the only word that comes to mind in describing Mayor Roberston at his inauguration, given the costs is..."BRIDEZILLA!!!". No question, VV should have ponied up to help with the costs and kept things to the original City budget. I think the extravagance really becomes an insult to Vancouverites when you put this in the same context as Cllr. Louis' recent motion on the budget and their wanting to be responsible about spending taxpayer's money.
You can add the mental health advocate which is a provincial responibilty.
And, I wonder what kind of an outcry there would have been from the left if the NPA had thrown a inaguration party like this ?
How nice that Gregor won't spend as much for an inauguration "the next time" if the economy is still as bad. I'm sure he's not too worried being that he's a millionaire living in a million-dollar home owned by a US corporation. He should have paid for his own damn party.