HORATIO: To what issue will this come?
MARCELLUS: Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
It appears Prince Hamlet's two sidekicks correctly assessed the situation; they just got the location wrong. Forget about the state of Denmark folks, something stinks big time here in the Shining Valley.
Mayor Gardner claims fire chief Ray Saurette was let go because his leadership style was at odds with the district's new standard of "open, fair and accurate communication."
But the way this whole issue was handled by the DOS is less an illustration of openness and more reminiscent of the cloak-and-dagger tactics used in the former Soviet Union.
Accepted management practice dictates that after Saurette's deficiencies were highlighted, during an annual performance review, he should have been given an opportunity to remedy his shortcomings. Instead, following a closed-door council hearing Saurette got the boot from CAO Kevin Ramsay, who has been on the job for a short three months, and who allegedly received disparaging emails from disenchanted firefighters about Saurette's performance.
Apparently when Saurette was directed by the district to ensure the lounges in the fire halls were dry, some volunteers got testy. With possible firefighter resignations looming, council capitulated and reversed the no-beer-in-the-halls policy. And the assumption is that to circumvent the constraints related to alcohol on district premises, firefighters are allowed to lease lounges in the halls, so technically they are not governed by the restrictions.
Greg Gardner asserts that concerns over suds never came up during discussions with Saurette. Besides, tossing a few cold ones back is therapeutic because this is a stressful job, according to the mayor, and firefighters who have imbibed will not respond to calls.
Saurette's firing opens the door to more questions than answers. The track record for retention of top echelon management in this district is abysmal. Just prior to the Squamish Sustainability Corporation meltdown, Brent Leigh, the former deputy CAO, jumped ship and landed in West Van. This past spring the entire SSC board resigned and SSC business lead Dave Thomson was shown the door. Kim Anema, our former CAO, left office prematurely in May and we have to wonder whether the looming Saurette can-of-worms was partially responsible for Anema's departure.
Saurette is not without blame. Frankly, his three alarm announcement to every media outlet between here and the Alberta border had the distinct malodor of vindictiveness all over it. Just to set the record straight local firefighters need to clear the air and the district needs to divulge the actual reasons for Saurette's dismissal, within the boundaries of legal privacy parameters.
From top to bottom the whole sorry episode points to a real lack of integrity at all levels. Instead of leadership we get backstabbing, infighting and wheeling and dealing. Instead of openness and transparency, we get Soviet style management.
This fiasco at the hands of the very people we entrust to uphold our good name is another embarrassment for a community that has worked hard to reverse years of negative press and ridicule.
