23 responses so far ↓

• 1 City Hall Insider // Mar 26, 2010 at 8:16 pm

  Ark, many of us admired you at the hall. You were a friend to many of us and stood up for the grunts over the years . We respect you for that. We all knew the knives were out so you did all right. The funny part is that now you will be more of a thorn in our side now that you are on the dark side. Cheers. Keep up the running.

• 2 jesse // Mar 26, 2010 at 9:37 pm

  “the payout is not a lot…”

  The payout seems about right given his responsibility, years of experience, salary, and age. It lines up reasonably well with what is normal in private industry.

  The better question is why are City managers receiving severance packages so much larger. Is it in accordance with common law or did the City sign lucrative severance agreements when they hired them?

• 3 Gordon // Mar 27, 2010 at 1:41 pm

  The village idiot would be able to tell that a disgruntled employee is stirring the pot. Now this issue can be put to rest and everyone can now get on with productive work. All of this non-sense is proof that city hall needs to be leaner and some of these people should have been let go “without cause” long ago!!

• 4 Glissando Remmy // Mar 27, 2010 at 3:02 pm

  The Thought of The Day

  “Any friends of Other People’s Money are friends of Penny”

  I’m in between feelings here.

  I am happy for Ark. Good for him. Stantec made it clear for all the bullies at the Vancouver City Hall that this man, had a lot of mileage left in his body and mind. Funny how the same was still valid for the J’s: Jody, James, Judy…

  I’m not happy for the rest of us though. Ark’s been mistreated badly, but we’ve been duped. Big time!

  How can this New Age Leadership justify this type of treatment of People and Public Money is beyond me. What bothers me more is how on Earth the People of Vancouver are not reacting heatedly at this clear act of Public Sadomasochism. Stupefying!

  Starting today, I will ask a question in one of the following different categories like “Ask Penny”, “Ask Gregor”, “Ask Gordon”…you get the picture. I’ll be trying to find out, what makes these people tick. What drives them to wake up every morning, have a nice cup of Joe or orange juice, put on a nice suit, wave to their neighbours and then go to work only to systematically prey on people and destroy their lives, their city and province?

  If I could only make them open up to us, so we could ultimately understand them that would be grand!
  So, with no delay here’s the First one:

  ASK PENNY
  “Does it hurt to be you?”

  We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.

• 5 Mark Allerton // Mar 27, 2010 at 3:56 pm

  GR, perhaps you should consider getting your own blog.

  Anyway, does this mean that Alex “bonkers” Tsakumis’ dreams of a return to the media spotlight on the back of his ground-breaking investigation of ArkGate are now in tatters? One can only live in hope.

  Unless these documents are faked*, it appears that Ark T signed off on all of these allegedly scandalous problems well before his dismissal. So at the end of the day what we have is a story of a well regarded employee getting shafted by his employer – which I dare say probably happens somewhere in this City about once every 15 minutes. Sucks to be him but it’s not Watergate.

  (* I look forward to AGT going all Orly Taitz on this one.)

• 6 SV // Mar 27, 2010 at 6:08 pm

  Mark- nicely put.

• 7 Glissando Remmy // Mar 27, 2010 at 11:29 pm

  “Hypocrisy is the art of affecting qualities for the purpose of pretending to an undeserved virtue. Because individuals and institutions and societies most often live down to the suspicions about them, hypocrisy and its accompanying equivocations underpin the conduct of life. Imagine how frightful truth unvarnished would be.”
  Benjamin F. Martin, “France in 1938”

  Bzzzzzz…Mark Allerton, hear that? That’s the sound of hypocrisy coming from your own post. Mark, apparently you have a blog and yet you, post on Frances Blog… Do you hear it now? Eh! Do you?

  Curiosity made me stop by your blog for about 13 seconds, after reading your advice. Why would a person with no feet want to wear shoes is beyond me. I’ve not realized it until later, that by doing that I’ve in fact doubled your traffic. You son of a gun!

  On a different topic now, I also didn’t know that Frances’s Blog have become a self congratulatory site for the Vision aficionados. If that’ the case, oh my, a thousand pardons!

  In addition to that I sincerely recommend synchronizing the “Kiss Vision Ass” Submit Button with a strong round of applause. For everyone else however, you have to know, if you want to get high on accolades there are other ways.

  So. Mark. Perhaps. You. Stop. Patronizing. Me.OK. Pumpkin?

  We live in Vancouver and this keeps us busy.

• 8 Chris Keam // Mar 28, 2010 at 8:52 am

  Alex already has a blog.

  Questions are easy. Answers are harder. It would be great if more people offered up theirs.

• 9 Mark Allerton // Mar 28, 2010 at 10:45 am

  GR: I simply mean to suggest that substantial portions of your writing here – in particular those parts you are planning in advance – are better suited to medium other than the blog comment.

• 10 JP Ratelle // Mar 28, 2010 at 3:53 pm

  Very interesting to note that these documents actually raise more questions than they answered and are full of inconsistencies with anything that came from the mayor, meggs (if they aren’t one in the same) and Penny Ballum over the past 4-6 weeks.

  If one isn’t biased you can honestly see that. It doesn’t take a mensa member to see there is simply more to it than they suggest.

  For those that are biased like Frances (I have no clue if Frances belongs to mensa), and most of her commenters here (see previous brackets), it gives you just enough details to feel satisfied that your saviours in city hall were only doing their jobs.

  Funny thing is that there are some pesky details they left out and the others are skewed amongst the details that were released.

  There are people like myself who voted a majority of Vision councillors in ’08, but not all of them, that this still stinks for.

  Go figure and I didn’t even vote NPA. How could that be?

  Not biased and I still see something wrong with the whole saga. There is an old saying of course, where there’s smoke there’s fire.

  If any of you actually spoke to the real folks who actually do the work in the hall, perhaps you would be concerned about what is and continues to be compromised in this city.

  But then all of you would have to take off your blinders and rose-colored glasses handed out at the last Vision get-together.

• 11 spartikus // Mar 28, 2010 at 6:58 pm

  Very interesting to note that these documents actually raise more questions

  Please, enlighten us as to these questions. We are, according to you, dim and/or scoundrels.

• 12 spartikus // Mar 28, 2010 at 7:47 pm

  On pg. 13, Ark Tsisserev writes:

  “The suggestion in the media is that there are problems within the electrical department which have compromised the safety of the City, it’s citizens and various works. I confirm that while I was at the department there was absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever with the manner in which the electrical department was carrying out it’s responsibilities. I can also say that since my departure on Jan 21, 2010, I am not aware of any facts that would suggest in any way that there is anything wrong in the way the electrical inspectons branch is being operated and I am not currently aware of any safety issues or dangers whatsoever.”

  That’s pretty clear, isn’t it?

  So I ask again, JP Ratelle, what are these “pesky details” that have been left out?

• 13 dave // Mar 28, 2010 at 9:55 pm

  Ok, so if Tsisserev was planning to retire in about a year anyway, why not just wait until then to eliminate his position? They’d get another 15 months work out of him, and the cost would be about the same. The main difference is that now the city has to pay what would have been his 2011 salary and benefits, plus the career counseling costs, out of the 2010 budget. How does that help the 2010 budget?

• 14 A. G. Tsakumis // Mar 29, 2010 at 12:03 am

  It’s nice of Mr. Allerton and other spinners and sycophants of the Vision bailiwick to come out and immediately try to twist the story.

  Unfortunately, there was a reason Ark Tsisserev had to sign those documents.

  Mr. Ratelle also raises some significant issues, which I will deal with on my own blog.

  There are glaring inconsistencies in what Dr. Ballem, the Mayor and others have said about this.

  And you’ll have to wait until Tuesday morning to see why Penny Ballem should immediately resign.

  So hold your fire Mr. Allerton. Because by Wednesday morning…you’re going to need to lie down for awhile.

  This is FAR from over…

• 15 A. G. Tsakumis // Mar 29, 2010 at 12:06 am

  TEASERS:

  If Ark Tsisserev is gone from the Hall because of restructuring and budgets…

  …then who changed the city charter since the City Electrician can only be released on “fitness or merit” grounds.

  …there are five separate statements made by Penny Ballem about the way Ark Tsisserev was fired on January 21st, which are abject lies.

  Until mid-week, then….

• 16 Mark Allerton // Mar 29, 2010 at 8:02 am

  I did say I was looking forward to you going Orly Taitz on this, Alex – glad to see I won’t be disappointed.

  You seem to be set on proving my point though – in that this was billed as a scandal where lives of olympic participants were knowingly being put at risk, but what we now seem to be left with is a dispute about procedure and some inconsistent statements about that procedure.

• 17 spartikus // Mar 29, 2010 at 9:20 am

  but what we now seem to be left with is a dispute about procedure and some inconsistent statements about that procedure.

  And regarding that…

  …then who changed the city charter since the City Electrician can only be released on “fitness or merit” grounds.

  The Charter actually says:

  To appoint employees

  (b) may provide for the appointment, suspension, and removal of such employees as may be considered necessary, and may fix their remuneration and hours of work, and shall require that their appointment, promotion, and change of status be based on merit and fitness.

  Now, I’m no expert, but this strikes me as not supporting AGT’s claim. Note the last part says appointment, promotion, and change of status nothing about removal and it talks about employees (individuals) and not about positions. I’m happy to be corrected in this.

  But yes, we’ve come a long way from Vancouver’s citizens being in grave danger from a rash of electrical fires. As far as I can tell, the worst that has happened here is a long time employee was screwed out of a full pension. Unfortunate.

  I wonder though, if the outcry from our free-market friends would have been the same if it had been some of the foot soldiers shown the door rather than the general. Ex. Vancouver’s 20 electrical inspectors being reduced to 15, say.

  Or perhaps there would have been applause at “trimming the fat”. I have no way of knowing, but one wonders.

• 18 Higgins // Mar 29, 2010 at 8:32 pm

  Glissy,
  Bring it on. I love your posts. ASK PENNY…LOL that’s a good one.
  Mark,
  Lame man, just lame. Sit down, and let Frances do the talking.
  Alex,
  Good job. Keep them socks wet and do your thing until the Bully has left the Hall! 🙂
  Sukitraps,
  You are spinning so much I’m afraid you are going to end up with a writer’s cramp.

• 19 SV // Mar 29, 2010 at 8:42 pm

  What, only one emoticon?

• 20 A. G. Tsakumis // Mar 30, 2010 at 1:31 am

  Actually spartikus, the City Electrician is specifically referenced. you are looking at the wrong section, thus proving your point, that oyu are far from an expert.

  Mr. Allerton, all I can say is that no amount of spinning by you or your pathetic brethren will change a damn thing.

  Olympic venues were NOT inspected by city inspectors as per the electrical code and that immediately makes those sites life safety hazard areas. I know you’re just looking for the easy way out of this, but my Wednesday morning, your friends (and you?) will be suffering from a monster of a problem.

  Stay tuned all.

• 21 spartikus // Mar 30, 2010 at 7:53 am

  you are looking at the wrong section

  Which section? I mean it’s so easy to cut and paste the link. Here’s the Vancouver Charter. It allegedly supports your argument. It seems like a win for you, yet you seem never to provide such things.

  Details pending, I guess. Details perpetually pending…

• 22 spartikus // Mar 30, 2010 at 8:02 am

  You probably mean this one:

  City Electrician

  312. (1) There shall be a City Electrician appointed by the Council who shall have such duties and powers in addition to those provided by this Act as the Council may from time to time prescribe.

  Once again, to this eye, I see nothing in there about the criteria for removal of a City Electrician. Nor do I see anything that says the City Electrician can’t report to another position.

  It all seems very, er, broad. Indeed:

  Saving clause

  316. Nothing in this Act shall be held to affect or impair any contract with the city or any rights, powers, or privileges now had or enjoyed under its Act of incorporation or any special Act by a public utility as the same is defined by the Utilities Commission Act.

  But then, I could be wrong. Which passage is it, Alex? I implore you….

• 23 Jack // Mar 30, 2010 at 8:30 am

  Two comments – I believe the parting deal negotiated by Ark’s lawyer is full compensation for the last year and all pension contributions. It is usual in such matters to buy the employee into his full pension.

  If the charter says the city shall appoint a city electrician there is implied power to dismiss and replace. The city has appointed one staff person to several charter positions which also appears to to be legal.

  I don’t think the AGT scandal story has legs.