TWO MORE WATERING HOLES
Mr. Anderson's travel expense receipts show that he also supports local establishments in and around Yarmouth with his late night EFFORTS.
Late into the evening.... two of his apparent favourite haunts are Rudders and the Rodd Grand in Yarmouth. Working late in one of these establishments is not uncommon for SWSDA's CEO....
Of the two, Mr. Anderson appears to prefer the ambiance at the Rodd, frequenting that establishment slightly more often and later at night.... often after 11:00 at night on behalf of the paying public! The poor man's work never seems to be done... does it?
But wait.... Some would point out however..... that frequency doesn't indicate preference! In this case, they might be right and here's the reason why.....
Mr. Anderson's travel and entertainment expense receipts for the 12 month period in question indicate that he's spent at least 25% more at Rudders!
Whoa.... but you might say Mr. Anderson tips more at the Hotel..... AND .... he does!
Well either way..... here's the real news .... and the real reason better scrutiny of these expenses might be called for. Between these two Yarmouth establishments... both a stone's throw away from perfectly good meeting facilities at SWSDA, taxpayers paid more than $2,500 for food and drink in the 12 months under review.... with average tips often over 25% and sometimes as high as 64%!
If one assumes the same pattern of expenditures in these Yarmouth establishments between 1997 and 2009 .... we're talking about some $32,500 in so-called "travel & entertainment" expenses to feed and water Mr. Anderson and the folks he's entertaining in these two establishments ... ALONE.....
....On our dime in Yarmouth.... and an estimated $8,125 in tips for wait staff .....!!! THEY MUST LOVE SEEING HIM ARRIVE.... Potential impact on socio-economic development throughout Yarmouth and Shelburne Counties and Clare....PRICELESS....
Oh.... and I haven't mentioned the blank, undated receipt tear-off chits with hand-written amounts of $50, $60 and $70 dollars (Mr. Anderson seems to like rounding off numbers) at the Austrian Inn... a few clicks down the road from Mr. Anderson's home ... that taxpayers have paid for ... or other local "expenses"......
YOU KNOW.... $25,000 HERE..... $32,500 THERE..... and before you know it..... you could be talking REAL MONEY over the years! Sorry dear reader... writing about this stuff seems to stimulate my sarcastic bent.
When I see stuff like this... unchecked and oftentimes it appears .... assisted by those responsible... folks we elect and finance to do the right thing.... it leaves me shaking my head.
It almost seems to me that those who should have been guarding and protecting our interests have seen this as the way to do business and support development in the past. A little like the rum & chocolates-laced elections of the not-so-distant past in Nova Scotia.
My call is to those on the Board and in our municipal Councils who have a genuine concern about getting better value-for-money from our RDA and our development investments... to stop this approach to management of our affairs.
I BELIEVE CHANGE IS IN THE AIR.... and .... it will come by cooperation or confrontation... either way ... my advice is... better to select the preferred path and lead the change ...
Those who try to resist public pressure by excluding the public, frustrating public access, changing meeting venues, increasing secrecy and back-room deals and extending the bunker mentality of SWSDA and our municipalities.... will likely suffer the consequences......of choosing confrontation!BELIEVE ME.... I THINK FOLKS HAVE HAD ENOUGH .... DON'T YOU? AND THOSE WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE HAD BEST TAKE NOTE....
When you're my age you still marvel at technology that seemed far-fetched not so long ago..... ALREADY, THIS LITTLE BLOG ALONE.... THAT STARTED ONLY FOUR WEEKS AGO .... HAS HAD MORE THAN ..... 21,642 PAGE VIEWS BY READERS ... HUNDREDS OF THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS FROM READERS ... WHO ARE NOW DEVELOPING COFFEE CLUBS AND INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKS ..... OUR AUDIENCE IS NOW LOCATED IN 39 CITIES IN CANADA, 10 COUNTRIES & 8 STATES IN THE U.S.
If that is what we can do in 4 weeks .... simply by supplying information to people.... IMAGINE.... what can we do over the summer or over the next year to undo the damage done in the past 14 years by lack of accountability and transparency on the part of SWSDA, its Board and our municipal councils
Oh... and those that don't believe ... shouldn't under-estimate the public's tenacity or attention.... nor mine!
5 comments:
It's good to see the numbers of hits you've had Ed. People I've spoken with are more interested in this election than any I've been around for in past years. You are right that the marvels of technology never cease to amaze a person. It's been quite an education reading your articles - reminds me of what we witnessed years ago, and thought had changed. I'm not a betting man but imagine the auditors are packing their suitcases for a bit of Yarmouth hospitality. They'll no doubt enjoy a meal at Rudders while in town. Thanks for the interesting reading. It beats the Herald's reporting lately.
You've hit the nail on the head in more ways than one Ed. Now all you need are a few advertisers on your site to show their support in straightening this mess up. They'd garner my business and that of many others I know.
That's the whole problem in this area; nobody's brave enough to take a stand on what they are witnessing, as long as it doesn't affect them personally.
Well folks, it does. Have you seen any positive signs of new industry set up shop in the county in recent years, have you seen many successful small business ventures in the area, has our county gained anything in the past fifteen years that couldn't have been achieved without an RDA?
Growing up in Shelburne, with a thriving downtown area in the 50's and 60's has disappeared for this generation. We've got one of the most beautiful waterfronts in N.S. with its Loyalist architecture still intact, a perfect harbour for sailing and boating, and some of the friendliest folks in the world.
Gone are the grocery stores, clothing stores, shoe store, the five and dime, and what has replaced them? I won't go into that, as I see Peter Healey shares my views in his recent letter to The Coast Guard.
No, I don't think SWSDA has done much for the area considering the millions it has received, and also feel that our old municipal council can shoulder the blame for the majority of our woes today.
I don't envy the new Warden as he has quite a job ahead of him, but delaying the process of correcting a wrong will only prolong the agony of watching the death throes of this RDA. We're counting on him and his council to clean their act up and put an end to this charade.
From, Hoping For a Better Tomorrow
We know there's not much to laugh about when we see money being wasted, but the fellows here today can't wait to see if Rudders has a snug. Maybe they've got one with Frank's name on it? This has gotten so crazy we have a hard time thinking the wardens and mayors and even the accountant and Lombard from the Royal Bank let it go for so long. It makes them look as bad as Frank and you haven't even scratched the surface. You've got them running for cover now Ed. We'll toot when we see you on the 10th and the auditors will soon be knocking on Frank's and Richie's doors.
``wethinkFrankwouldcallustheunwashed``
One giant step would not to re-elect nasty old Richie. This would weaken Franks position and cause some chaos.Then strike when they are weak and off their guard! The councils have to take some responsibility.
What pol would protect Richie if the PCs go down and either the Libs or NDP gain control? Neither party will protect him on this one. I want to know where it is stated that the N.S. AG not having jurisdiction in auditing RDAs in the province. There's something incorrect in this statement from the AG's office. If Rodney had ordered an audit we would have had one.
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