A retired army major says he would bring in some major budget cuts if elected to Morinville town council this fall.
Town resident and retired army major James O’Brien announced last week that he would run for town council this fall. O’Brien, 68, came third in the 2012 council by-election with 114 votes.
“A number of the issues with which I was concerned with (last fall) really haven’t been resolved yet to my satisfaction,” he said, when asked why he was running. “I figured I better give it another crack.”
He was most concerned about the town’s finances, noting that it had taken big bites out of its reserves in recent budgets. “We no longer have a rainy day fund. We’re broke, I think.”
O’Brien said that the town had a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and pointed to the fact that about half its operating budget went to wages as evidence. “That really, really bothers me,” he said, especially with provincial coffers under stress due to recent flood damages down south.
O’Brien called for a comprehensive expenses review, an across-the-board spending cut of 10 per cent, and a renewed focus on debt reduction.
When asked where he would make these cuts, he said, “That’s something that administration can wrangle with.” When pressed for specifics, he said that, if elected, he would call for a hiring freeze on contractors and for all wage hikes to be kept at cost-of-living levels.
He also criticized council’s communications. “There seems to be an apparent reluctance by some members of administration and the former council to really communicate with the whole community,” he said. “There’s lots of letters that go into administration that don’t come out.” He also disliked council’s habit of holding hour-long in camera sessions before meetings – a habit he believed contravened provincial freedom of information laws.
He was uncertain how to improve council openness, saying that he had to learn the rules of governance to find out what council could and could not share with the public. “If I’m elected, I’ll certainly be as open as I can.”
O’Brien said he would oppose getting city status for Morinville until a full cost-benefit analysis was done. Becoming a city might let the town take control of Hwy. 642, but it could also saddle the town with the bill to maintain it. “Before we go any further with becoming a city, we better find out what it’s going to cost everybody.”
He also said he had signed a petition organized by resident Cliff Haryett calling on council to end photo radar in Morinville. “I’m not convinced this is the proper way to go but it’s the only way we’re going to get council and administration to really listen to us.”
O’Brien said his 37 years as an infantryman (most recently with the Princess Patricia’s) made him an outspoken leader who’s willing to ask tough questions. “I’ve got the time, I’ve got the energy and I’ve got the determination to make a real difference for all Morinville residents.”
Election Day is Oct. 21.
