Entries tagged with: laurie best
25 result(s) displayed (1 - 25 of 29):
Modernizing participation in civic government: Part I
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Vancouver's horse and buggy citizen engagement process needs to be modernized About a week ago, I contacted Laurie Best to discuss how technology could improve citizen engagement in Vancouver. Best is the former Director of Communications for the City...
Posted on August 6, 2010 10:00 PM
Merkley's "moving expenses" raise questions about Hollyhock hire
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Ryan Merkley did a six-month tour of duty in Vancouver before returning home CityCaucus.com readers will remember the odd story of the last-minute hiring of Toronto's Ryan Merkley as Vancouver's new Director of Communications replacing Laurie Best just prior to...
Posted on July 29, 2010 9:08 AM
A post-Vision City Hall will require costly house cleaning
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If Vision loses in 2011, the heavily politicized civil service will have to go It's the first week of December 2011, and staff in Gregor Robertson's office are cleaning out their desks, stunned at the unforeseen triumph of their...
Posted on January 7, 2010 8:47 PM
Another out-of-towner hired as City of Vancouver senior management
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See u at Hollyhock in 2010! Vancouver's new senior manager shakes a leg with Renewal PartnersIn what is becoming a recurring pattern at Vancouver City Hall, we've just learned that the latest hire for the senior management team is...
Posted on December 9, 2009 3:10 PM
Jobs at the Hall - Vision's NDP friends need not apply
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Why are Vision's NDP pals standing in line for the gigs? In politics it's not unheard of to reward supporters and those who slug it out on campaigns with favours, access to politicians, and occasionally paying work. But if...
Posted on October 15, 2009 6:14 PM
Robertson issues statement on heat wave
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Local media wait outside Vancouver city hall to get a copy of Mayor Robertson's media release on the heat wave gripping his cityWell...yesterday I posted a story about how Vancouver's Mayor was utterly silent on the issue of the current...
Posted on July 28, 2009 7:35 PM
Is a former BC Liberal candidate about to join Vancouver City Hall?
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Rumours are swirling around Vancouver City Hall that a shake-up of sorts is about to take place for a couple of key positions. According to City Hall insiders, Director of Communications Laurie Best is being moved out of her...
Posted on July 10, 2009 9:01 AM
First week of 311 media campaign off too good start
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Well, the first week of 311 in operation is over, and we can report that the system is working just as it should. Despite attempts by Vancouver's communications department to keep the good news secret, CityCaucus.com will continue to promote the...
Posted on June 19, 2009 5:18 PM
Mayor Robertson leery of timing for 311 launch in Vancouver
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Vancouver commuters stuck in traffic due to Gregor's Gridlock will be able to simply call 311 to reach the Mayor to complainAs we first reported here a few months ago, the "soft launch" of Vancouver's new 311 program is underway...
Posted on June 14, 2009 6:14 PM
Key Vancouver Mayor's office staffer quits
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Breaking news that Brent Humphrey, life parter of City of Vancouver Corporate Communications Director Laurie Best, is leaving his job on Mayor Gregor Robertson's staff. In a memo to City staff and the Corporate Management Team, Robertson Chief of Staff...
Posted on June 9, 2009 11:09 AM
Privacy Commissioner asked to investigate FOI request
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In response to an FOI, Vancouver's top bureaucrat told staff she sent no emails from her City account in December '08 A while back, CityCaucus.com asked for a copy of Vancouver City Manager Penny Ballem's emails for the first...
Posted on May 14, 2009 10:00 AM
FOI reveals Robertson and Ballem co-authored Olympic Village "storyline"
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Vancouver's City Manager and Mayor worked together to develop Olympic Village "storyline" Our crack research team on the 20th floor of CityCaucus.com's downtown headquarters have been working like mad ever since we received 400 pages worth of emails from...
Posted on May 8, 2009 2:48 PM
FOI reveals city staff busy taking pretty pictures while Snowmageddon raged
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Vancouver resident digs out as City staff plan to take pictures of all that pretty snow With temperatures rising, we realize many Vancouverites will have forgotten by now the ravages of Snowmageddon from last December. Just in case you...
Posted on May 4, 2009 10:35 PM
No CityCaucus.com for Vancouver city staff, says Best
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Communications Director orders that CityCaucus.com posts no longer be tracked and forwarded to City staff A package of about 400 pages worth of emails from Laurie Best, Vancouver's Director of Communications arrived at our research department on the 20th...
Posted on May 4, 2009 11:00 AM
Vision rolls dice on Burrard Bridge lane closures
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Vancouver drivers maneuver their way on to the new restricted Burrard Street Bridge The much anticipated staff report regarding the future of the Burrard Street Bridge is now in and it looks like motorists are going to have to put...
Posted on April 30, 2009 2:10 PM
Vancouver mayor one busy boy during spring break
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Mayor Gregor Robertson's secretary prints off his daily intake of email We all knew that Mayor Gregor Robertson was keen on new technology, but who would have guessed that in a one week period he would have received over...
Posted on March 28, 2009 8:00 AM
$570K severance 'the right amount' says Mayor Meggs
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Mayor's political staff now have direct pipeline into city bureacracy In my previous life working for what was known as the Unemployment Insurance Department, we had a saying. "There is no such thing as a mutual agreement" when it comes...
Posted on March 19, 2009 11:00 PM
Ballem explains Rudberg was "grumpy"
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Attention Vancouver City staff: If you can negotiate separation terms before you leave your employer, see if you can get a clause that says the City Manager won't impugn your reputation before you leave. Former General Manager of Olympic Operations...
Posted on March 15, 2009 10:07 AM
City docs reveal Rudberg spin control
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Internal documents reveal contradictory media messaging from City Manager Penny Ballem and her communications staff Emails made available to CityCaucus.com reveal a carefully planned media spin that was developed in response to Friday afternoon's resignation by Vancouver's Head of Olympic...
Posted on March 14, 2009 1:35 PM
Culture of secrecy shrouds affairs at 12th & Cambie
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The Cone of Silence may become standard issue for Vancouver City staff "Vancouver City Hall has become the most secretive place I've ever seen," says a City staffer who contacted CityCaucus.com. It wouldn't be the first time we...
Posted on March 3, 2009 9:38 PM
Dead Air on 311: Is this the Best strategy for Vancouver?
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Earlier this week I received a call from CBC radio's On the Coast. They wanted me to appear on the show to speak about Vancouver's new 311 program that will be officially launched on June 15th. 311 is a new...
Posted on February 21, 2009 9:05 AM
Holy Hoggan, Batman! Was Council bypassed for $60K PR contract?
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Vancouver City Hall Shocker – major Vision Vancouver donor has services contract doubled without required Council approval! A few weeks back, we reported that Vancouver PR firm Hoggan and Associates, big campaign contributors to Vision Vancouver, had received a...
Posted on February 19, 2009 6:00 PM
Openness & Transparency comes with a price tag
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$2,155 As part of some research we're doing on a tip we received from Vancouver City Hall, CityCaucus.com made two separate requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Knowing how busy it is at City Hall...
Posted on February 16, 2009 6:45 PM
Attention City Hall staff: post your savings tips here!
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We recently posted CityCaucus.com's 10 FREE tips for saving $$ at City Hall. We think we're just scratching the surface with ten, and by only focusing on Vancouver. One of our suggestions was that City Hall erect some kind of...
Posted on February 10, 2009 6:59 AM
$60,000 public relations contract remains off limits
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Recently, fellow civic affairs blogger Frances Bula stood in front of the class and gave every blogger a stern talking to for having the audacity to FOI records at City Hall. According to Ms. Bula, getting records out of City...
Posted on January 23, 2009 8:00 AM
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