Critics demand openness but TransLink boss defends secrecy
TransLink’s unelected directors were branded unaccountable and anti-democratic by a small handful of public critics last Friday.
The four people who spoke at the Metrotown board meeting were outnumbered by security guards but urged directors to reconsider their policy of making all decisions behind closed doors.
James Steidle, co-ordinator for the Sustainable Communities Initiative, said the board decides “who gets what, where and when” and such decisions are bound to be political despite claims the new structure will take politics out of TransLink decisions.
“When you make political decisions, you need accountability,” Steidle said. “There’s simply no place in a democracy for those decisions to be made by those who cannot and will not be held accountable for them.”
The board had set aside two hours to hear public delegations before going in-camera to decide property tax rates, but speakers had to register two days ahead and TransLink gave less than 24 hours advance notice of that cut-off.
Two men who weren’t allowed to speak — even though there was more than 90 minutes of unused time — said the system seemed designed to shut out the public.
“It’s disgusting to me how this is run,” said one Vancouver man who gave his name only as Michael. “It’s unbelievable — you should be ashamed.”
Board chair Dale Parker admitted would-be speakers might not have been given enough time to get on the agenda, adding more may be done to publicize future meetings.
“If we haven’t done it well enough, we’ll correct it,” he said.
But he defended the board’s decision to meet behind closed doors — which he maintains is needed for directors to do their work.
Parker also refused to release any record of voting by individual board members.
“We don’t do that,” he said. “We vote as a board.”
Asked how the board can be accountable if the public doesn’t know how individual directors voted, Parker said: “The board makes a decision. I think the important thing is the results of the votes and the decisions that are made, it’s not who voted on what... It’s democracy in the sense that all board decisions are made by majority vote.”
Besides setting property tax rates for 2008, the decisions before TransLink’s board included spending millions on more SkyTrain cars and buses.
The Mayors Council on Regional Transportation has final say on long-range plans and tax increases beyond the rate of inflation.
But the mayors aren’t expected to get a vote until a new 10-year plan is presented by the board in August.
Outgoing TransLink CEO Pat Jacobsen skirted questions of whether the new board is transparent enough.
“I think this new board is very good,” she said, adding the new tax hikes for 2008 are within the range previously approved by the former TransLink board.
TransLink is poised to become a major real estate mogul, aiming to profit from billions of dollars in new construction along rapid transit corridors by partnering with other developers.
But critics have already flagged the strategy as one that, without careful safeguards, could put the board or staff under suspicion of colluding with outside profiteers.
The board has now hired Neil de Gelder as a conduct review advisor to provide directors and senior staff independent advice on ethical issues, including conflicts of interest.
TransLink officials say code of conduct guidelines are also in the works that will govern employees and directors.
jnagel@blackpress.ca
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