Finally, PHA being held accountable

livewire
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by livewire »

I completely support Mayor Litke on this. The Mayor is elected and the PHA is not. Taxation comes through representation - if we disagree with a Mayor & council we can vote them out - something we cannot do with the PHA. I hope Litke does what is right for the City's overall tourism industry and that is more then a group of self-interested hoteliers. The will of a democratically elected Mayor and council must prevail over self interest groups.


Well said and they are the ones ultimately responsible for the proper spending by the Provincial Government.

The PHA hired the 'Albertan'.
Midnite
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by Midnite »

Does Dave Prystay call the shots for the PHA or has he just been thrown into the spokesman position by default?
livewire
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by livewire »

Does Dave Prystay call the shots for the PHA or has he just been thrown into the spokesman position by default?


Well, that's a loaded question!!

From what I understand he was all in favour of the Business Development Group and the city awarding them the contract. When the 'little guys' (Let's call them the PHA) caused a fuss and threatened not to collect the tax unless THEY got to be in charge - he jumped the fence. Some people just prefer being the BIG fish....in a little pond...

Just what I've heard.

I would make a wager that if you asked the other - what, maybe 4? bigger hotels - what they think, they would side with the city on this one. (Tough as it is sometimes to side with the city! LOL!)
Last edited by livewire on Jan 9th, 2014, 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
XT225
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by XT225 »

I have to wonder why the city doesn't do their OWN advertising with their OWN staff? At least they would have control over what goes on. Oh wait a minute....I think they laid off a good chunk of them a couple years back...ooops.
twobits
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by twobits »

livewire wrote:
From what I understand he was all in favour of the Business Development Group and the city awarding them the contract. When the 'little guys' (Let's call them the PHA) caused a fuss and threatened not to collect the tax unless THEY got to be in charge - he jumped the fence. Some people just prefer being the BIG fish....in a little pond...

Just what I've heard.



David Prystay's ego is legendary. This media moment of offering 5k in salaries for firemen is just the latest example of what he will stoop to in order to get his mug in the paper. Jumping fence to the PHA is no surprise when you are a master of determining wind direction.
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twobits
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by twobits »

XT225 wrote:I have to wonder why the city doesn't do their OWN advertising with their OWN staff? At least they would have control over what goes on. Oh wait a minute....I think they laid off a good chunk of them a couple years back...ooops.

Cause if they did that the salaries plus benefits for CUPE employees would consume most of the Hotel Tax budget leaving next to nothing left for marketing.
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southy
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by southy »

Really Twobits?? Prove it!
XT225
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by XT225 »

twobits wrote: Cause if they did that the salaries plus benefits for CUPE employees would consume most of the Hotel Tax budget leaving next to nothing left for marketing.


Hmm....I don't believe that I stated these possible employees should be unionized CUPE employees...in fact I was thinking that they should be exempt staff (non-union management) who could be fired at any time if they don't do their job. Anything to take a shot at union employees, eh twobits. Touche!
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by twobits »

XT225 wrote:Hmm....I don't believe that I stated these possible employees should be unionized CUPE employees...in fact I was thinking that they should be exempt staff (non-union management) who could be fired at any time if they don't do their job. Anything to take a shot at union employees, eh twobits. Touche!


Now even more pricey management staff. You business plan devolves even further. We had a group of volunteers with some great minds and gobs of experience willing to do the job. Does that not make more sense than hiring city staff to do it?
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southy
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by southy »

I think you have to be careful when hiring volunteer staff. Sounds easy enough - but it can create some major difficulties within an organization, especially an organization like City Hall. Please check the link below - it gives a great overview of volunteers vs paid staff. Free isn't always better and sometimes it can even be worse unless there are policies (which should be developed by senior management) in place to control the day to day activies of these volunteers.

http://www.handsonnetwork.org/files/res ... 10_HON.pdf

I still disagree with the cost factor of either turning this work over to existing staff or creating one or two marketing/advertising positions within City Hall. The communication, information flow and ability for senior management to have daily access to what is going on would be worth it. I could be wrong, however, I do believe the City of Kelowna has their own advertising and marketing department. Might be worth checking out.
XT225
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by XT225 »

twobits wrote:
Now even more pricey management staff. You business plan devolves even further. We had a group of volunteers with some great minds and gobs of experience willing to do the job. Does that not make more sense than hiring city staff to do it?


I would settle for CONTRACT staff; those you hire on specific term (there has been a few and they CAN be easily let go, too). No benefits either. Just complete control over spending the taxpayers money; this is what we need. Volunteers? Not so sure on that; no accountability; if they get ticked off, they just leave as not getting paid to take crap.
twobits
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by twobits »

XT225 wrote: I would settle for CONTRACT staff; those you hire on specific term (there has been a few and they CAN be easily let go, too). No benefits either. Just complete control over spending the taxpayers money; this is what we need. Volunteers? Not so sure on that; no accountability; if they get ticked off, they just leave as not getting paid to take crap.


Are you and southy joking? Do either of you know who had volunteered to look after this marketing before the PHA high jacked the whole thing. Apparently not or else you wouldn't be talking about accountability and the ability to do the job. There were some pretty experienced and knowledgeable people in that group that the city couldn't even afford to pay if they were in it for a salary. Good grief guys, why is it so important for you to pad the city with more employee's?
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fluffy
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

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That's what gets my dander up about this whole mess. The Penticton Business Development Group, whom the PHA saw fit to resort to "hostage" tactics to oust in 2012, was a top-flight assemblage of skills and experience and was eminently more qualified to fill this roll than the paltry collection of inexperience and self-interest the PHA has brought to the table. I certainly hope that their attempt to use the same sort of ransom tactics to hang on to their little fiefdom meets with all the success it deserves, that being zero in my mind.
“We’ll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective.” – Kurt Vonnegut
sale4u
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by sale4u »

fluffy wrote:That's what gets my dander up about this whole mess. The Penticton Business Development Group, whom the PHA saw fit to resort to "hostage" tactics to oust in 2012, was a top-flight assemblage of skills and experience and was eminently more qualified to fill this roll than the paltry collection of inexperience and self-interest the PHA has brought to the table. I certainly hope that their attempt to use the same sort of ransom tactics to hang on to their little fiefdom meets with all the success it deserves, that being zero in my mind.


Very well put! "Hostage" "more qualified" "self interest" = Ego's
Just need people that truely care about this city instead of posturing! PHA? Blah!
*side note* - Head & Shoulders for that dander issue! ;)
livewire
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Re: Finally, PHA being held accountable

Post by livewire »

Just heard that the Chair and Vice Chair of Tourism Penticton resigned this morning......

Would be nice to see the board of the PHA resign......
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