-------- Your tax dollars at work ---------

Dear " I am not a SWSDA employee or affiliate".

I am taken by two things in your comments. First, the length of the name attached to your comments when people want to refer to you and your acute interest in supporting the privacy of the "business services" SWSDA purports to support.....

Soooo.... if you don't mind, to better reflect who you are and your interests I have decided to refer to you simply as "B.S."... get it.... "business services"? Sound fair...I think its so much more appropriate than calling you "Anonymous, I am not a SWSDA employee or affiliate".

So here goes....

Dear B.S.,

(Now doesn't that sound better?)

Anyway, now that other readers have posted comments on your comment let me share with you some of my thoughts and ask for clarification about your comment and the points you attempted to make.

I am glad that a busy "BUSINESS OWNER " like yourself would take the time to write to present your point of view and delighted that you think that my blog holds"... some merits in accountability."

As a business owner B.S., you should "... find it extremely inappropriate to publicly disclose such information as itemized expense statements of private expenses" .... and unless you do something illegal, or something that may compromise a public servant working on public issues... you should never have to divulge your private information... except to Revenue Canada!

Of course, that is unless B. S. .... it involves expenses wining and dining public servants or having civil servants use public money to entertain other civil servants, politicians or business people to curry favour... without providing proof of the expenses, identifying who you entertained or what the purpose of the expense was....

And then of course B.S., you know that Revenue Canada frowns on abuse and dramatically limits "entertainment expenses", whether they include public servants or not.

Now B.S...... here's where you and I might disagree when you claim that this is private information about marketing, networking and unique business expenses "... that the average public can not understand."

a) What kind of marketing, networking and unique business expense is involved in the purchase of crystal from the duty free shop in Austria while our Nova Scotia Crystal is going into receivership?

b) What kind of unique business is discussed over six scotchs and six drambuies.

c) Tell me about the need for secrecy about expensive drinks and dinners in Ale and Steak Houses with $40 and $50 tips late at night? Or drinks tallied up to the public trough at 11:55 on New Year's eve at the local watering hole? And I've only scratched the surface in 2006, from one organization, for expenses so far that clearly exceed $25,000.

Over the thirteen years that Mr. Anderson has run SWSDA assuming an average of $25,000 per year as was the case in 2006, Mr. Anderson's total PERSONAL travel expense claims could be in the order of $325,000 or more.... just for Mr. Anderson... and just from SWSDA's core funding. Wow.... imagine what we could do with that in Shelburne County to support small business!

So, I disagree with you on that point dear B.S..... I think the average public does understand what you call "the unique business expense." This is not rocket science..... Really!

I am glad you ensure that you are "... very well informed..." dear B.S. and I agree, I wouldn't want you to "... do your homework here." It would not be appropriate and I am not sure the public is that interested in the business you claim to own.... unless it involves the use of public money.....

Again dear B.S., I must confess that I have to agree with you that SWSDA is "... one of the few organizations that exist, solely to help our community." Unfortunately, in my judgement they are not doing a very good job of it.

This blog is about trying to get them to get at least the basics right... that includes appropriate ACCOUNTABILITY, governance and supervision of the organization's activities, use of public funds and conduct of the RDA's work.

Remember B.S., everything I have posted about SWSDA comes from documents they have issued themselves. Not one fact has been altered or proffered as evidence that SWSDA, their CEO, lawyers, accountants, Board or Team Shelburne have not provided or are not included in court documents open to the public.

And, I have growing book cases of material to draw on.... stuff derived from dozens of FOIPOP applications of ACOA, NRC, SWSDA, municipalities, Economic Development, Municipal Affairs, the RJSC, the court system and others.... all showing dear B. S. that SWSDA is not effective, efficient or operated with "due economy". Much of it showing contradictory claims by SWSDA.....about things like the expenses on the Boys School.

My hope is to change that.... or failing bringing about the appropriate changes in SWSDA... Getting municipalities in Shelburne County to demand and get our own RDA..... One that is accountable, transparent in its operations and appropriately directed by accountable representatives of the residents of Shelburne County.

So Dear B.S..... you asked what I am doing.... that's what I am doing.... and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for helping me do it..... I encourage you to continue helping in this effort... Without the help of folks like you it would be nigh impossible.

Yours very truly,

Ed