Whether you love him or still consider him an acquired taste, there’s one thing you have to give Mayor George Harvie: He gets things done.
All too often politicians say one thing on the campaign trail only to do something else, or nothing at all, once they get in office. The practice is so commonplace we’ve almost become immune to it, so when a politician actually does what he says he’d do, it’s nothing short of refreshing.
Now before the 60 per cent of you who didn’t vote for Harvie start rolling your eyes, let me say I’m not enamored with everything our new mayor has done thus far. I’m not keen on pouring $8 million into a track facility at North Delta Secondary when tracks elsewhere in the city are in equally rough shape, I don’t like the idea of downloading the cost of the employer health tax onto taxpayers and I’m still not a fan of a tax hike that ends in .99 in an effort to convince ratepayers it’s somehow less onerous.
However, I do like the fact he’s following through on a number of commitments he made while on the campaign trail. He said he’d eliminate the golden handshake the previous council had unanimously endorsed and would hold every other council meeting in North Delta to make civic politicians more accessible to that part of the city. He said he would invest in recreation facilities and give Delta families priority treatment. He said he would fund the BabyDaze program Fraser Health had cut in South Delta and would lobby to make a Delta casino go cashless to address money laundering concerns.
Well, he’s done all that and then some, and if you don’t believe me, you’ve only got to visit the city’s website where there’s an itemization of his accomplishments under the heading: Mayor Harvie’s First 90 Days in Office. In fact, he’s getting things done at such a rapid pace that the item posted on Feb. 5 was already outdated just a week later as the new mayor had already added to the list.
Does an accounting of these achievements require three prominent spots on the city’s home page 10 days after being posted? I’m guessing the answer to that is probably not, but when a politician actually follows through on campaign promises, it’s an uncommon enough feat that it’s worth noting.
