Here we go again with needless time and potential taxpayer expense being spent on an issue that’s not required.
The Cowichan Valley Regional District is considering the appointment of an ethics commissioner as a neutral and independent officer to oversee the conduct of the district’s elected officials.
If something happens and someone becomes totally unruly, there are means for dealing with it that shouldn’t involve an ethics commissioner.
We’ve already gone through all this with the Municipality of North Cowichan setting standards of conduct for council and staff in recent years.
It’s almost like we’re expecting a revolution from elected officials with all these policies and procedures being put in place. We surely don’t have to go to a schoolhouse mentality and put all the bad kids in the corner when they misbehave.
How did we ever survive in the past without all this bureaucratic red tape and what essentially amounts to overkill, much ado about nothing?
Sure, there are going to be incidents where a director or councillor says something they’ll regret in these sensitive times. But depending on the seriousness, it can surely be dealt with in-house.
If not, it can go the appropriate route without an ethics commissioner being summoned.
Of course, the potential for negative interactions with the public is greater than ever before but we can’t put so many safeguards in place in the event of the what ifs that likely won’t ever happen.
CVRD Chair and Ladysmith Mayor Aaron Stone summed it up best at a recent meeting.
He likes the informal process where the district can deal with these issues and hold discussions that would ultimately be the outcome of any complaints regarding elected officials, with no need for an ethics commissioner.
And if worst comes to worst, the person can always resign or strong suggestions can be made to them to resign if the matter is serious enough.
More commissioners or officials jumping into the fray is not a solution. Because what will likely happen is mountains will be made of molehills about trivial matters to justify the existence of the commissioners to make a decision.