I trust I will never reach the point whereby I am concerned about the color at the end of my nose!!!!!! If it gets a little brown, you bet it will be the result of too much sun.
An invitation to a "retirement" gala event may look enticing to one or two-but in my book, retaining ones principles takes priority.
Singing the praises of this city manager who supposedly lead us through "tough times," which resulted in "tougher times" is actually "politically correct." which seems to take precedent over facts these days.
Progress in this city was practically non existent for years. I recall that fellow sitting in front of council who was proposing the construction of a mausoleum. Turned down-flat out NO. He then accused the city of planning to build one themselves. Oh my, an indignant "NO." Well, the city is going to build a mausoleum. Just did not want that lower mainland businessman "jumping the gun" on them. Oh, the games our politicians play!!!!!
And the cop who bragged he could take early retirement as he had this cushy job waiting for him at Prince George city Hall. He did not even reside in Prince George at the time. Yes, he is there, and even a couple of his offspring became employees of the city. But of course the city manager would not have been an insider with knowledge of this-or would he????
Evading the truth is not uncommon.
I say, "Tell the truth and shame the devil."
Definitely not a motto at Prince George City Hall.
So long George-and "good riddance."
That is my accolade!!!!!

Go back to May 29th, and read Development Concerns.
Gives a rather vivid glowing report on the negativity this city has displayed re progress.
I trust George Paul had no impact or involvement.
Come on, tell it like it is.
Little good, lots of bad, and downright ugly on occasion.
17 years was too long-and it scares the hell out of me at the mere thought he could possibly remain in the city and be retained as a consultant and double dip from the taxpayers.
I have heard he and Colin are close-but do consultants get to go on trips??? That will be next.
Spare us!!!!

We need new blood in the planning department. To get that, we need a new city manager who understands how important a function planning is. A new manager can take care of that.

This latest $140,000 or so study sounds like it is absolutely a waste of money. That is a city planning department's work.

It states, for instance, that the retail space required over the next 8 years (till 2014) needs to be 50% more than now.

Dream on. Anyone notice that the first store is calling it quits in Westgate? I predicted that some time ago and more will come within the next year or two. Hallmark is closing its doors.

Also, there are signs there for stores to come, but they are a long time coming. Pine Centre is building new space, but cannot rent all its internal space. Used to be that there was a waiting list. Same with Parkwood.

Despite the apparent continuing high income and low housing cost and reasonable grocery and restaurant costs, people here either shop a lot out of town or they have other priorities for spending money. The relationship of the number of people, combined with disposable income, related to the amount of retail square footage is very simply quite different in this community than it is in others of similar size in BC.

You people make it sound like it is so easy to run a developing city. I guess you think you would all do a wonderful job and never make the wrong call on anything. Such negativity...

A developing city you say, Jigga??? How long does a city have to be in existence before it is no longer a "developing" city???
I have been around a relatively long time. I remember when this city was a beehive of activity. I recall when the downtown was considered, and operated like, a downtown.
Management of this city has been at the point of being disgraceful. With all this so called high income, and wonderful activity-why was there such a mass exodus from this city???
Were there too many "wrong calls?"
Yep-when it hits the negative side of the scale-you bet there is negativity. When it is a struggle to stay alive in a business in this city-pretty damn hard to be positive.
Go figure!!!!! And if the kitchen is too hot-get out of it-go run something else.
If the running of a city happens to be ones position-then run it-but not into the ground.
The employees at city hall do not feel any pain, as they get their regular raises and paycheques, -but the residents of the city suffer.
I also wonder how much purchasing power is lost at the Casino.I assume City Hall is happy with their share of the take.
Liquor, gambling, smoking,drugs, prostitution, and crime. Are we establishing a monopoly for a city of this size?
Such a great developing city????
Right-I personally do not like negativity. Perhaps something positive could be posted Jigga.
Are you up to it???

I'll post something positive. I do not think a city has to grow to be a great city to live in. There is nothing about growth that makes it positive. Just look at the Mayor of Ft. McMurray who is faced with a similar situation this city faced between 1965 and 1975. If people prefer living in cities that are 150,000, 200,000, 250,000, then they should move to cities that size. No matter what age you are, you are not likely to see the last number in that list in your lifetime.

Or perhaps you would like to be in a city that is growing at a fairly rapid rate and likely to continue to do so for a long time to come, then move to the GVRD, Kelowna or to the next one to follow the Kelowna region, the communities to the south and north of Nanaimo.

Now, is all that growth in the Kelowna area a postive or negative thing for those in Kelowna? I suspect for some it is one, and for others it is the other.

We must remember, what is positive for one person is not necessarily postive for another. A quality of life survey in PG may get a better result than the same survey conducted in Kelowna.

sorry benny, but ol paul should have been gone a long time ago. good riddance.

trusted...
I say a developing city because PG is still working through many of those issues/problems you mentioned. Some of them our city will have to work through for an infinite period. A city is always an ongoing development process.
And yes...you are right about the downtown, i totally agree...but this is not a problem exclusive to PG. Many cities are facing difficulty with their so called "downtown core" Malls and big box stores have had massive negative impacts on the downtown image in many places. I do not think that these are issues that could have been fixed with a few different decisions by another city manager. Its bigger than that.

I would be hard pressed to do a comparable between Prince George and Ft. McMurray, which is one of the most highly productive areas in Canada. Even Prince George in 1965 would have been a "drop in the bucket" if doing a comparable.
How many areas have ever seen growth to the extent of Ft McMurray.
A previous Prince George contractor has been involved there for years. He recently dropped in to see me. He is astounded at the growth there. The man is damned thankful he moved to Alberta years back.
Even in 1965-1975 I would hardly say people were "astounded" at the growth in Prince. Ft. McMurray will continue-but tell us about the abrupt halt in the late 70's in Prince, and how long it lasted, and I guarantee you will not see that in Ft. McMurray.
C'mon-let's compare apples to apples.
Sure Kelowna has problems-but I attribute climate as having a major effect on attracting the undesirable during summer months-and the lack of adequate law enforcemnt and too lenient court systems. We will not have to worry about appealing to those undesirables-no beaches, no tourists to beg from, no great climate. Needle exchanges and soup kitchens only cut it so far. They even move on out of Kelowna come fall.
People want the big box stores. They want cheaper prices-not having every dollar of their paycheque spoken for prior to receiving it.
Someone mentioned planning requiring a complete overhaul at city hall. It does!!!! And so does purchasing!!! And bylaws!!!!
It is time to "clean house." A major shake up just might clear the air, and stop giving these people a "free hand" to do as they please.
This city does not have a reputation for being progressive.
And just what does the job description of a city manager entail???
May the Saints preserve me if "decision making" is not a duty he is committed to.
So long, George, move on!!!!
Gotta admit-the free ride wasn't too demanding!!!

I think that taxpayers have every right to expect extraordinary performance from any professional who is payed a salary exceeding $213,000 per annum (last figure mentioned in a PG Citizen story about the City Manager) plus benefits.

For that kind of money one ought to contribute imagination, enthusiasm, vision and dedication each and every year one holds such a lucrative top job.

While I am driving over cracks and potholes, observe weed-choked ditches and chewed-up curbstones on my way to the shopping malls that are sucking the life blood out of the downtown and the city core - I am not so sure that there was anyone one in charge possessing the above mentioned qualifications to a more than an average degree.

Sorry. Managing and planning are a serious matter - as proven by the lack of positive results.

I trust it will take a lengthy period of time to rectify the above neglected areas in the city, plus change carved in stone attitudes at city hall.
I just viewed a great promotional show on Kelowna on T V. Many great shops, and not in malls. A really progressive city-and if they have a few problems as a result of being progressive, at least they do not appear to be as insurmountable as those in Prince George, with little, if any, growth. I really do not want to do a comparable, as Prince George just would not rate. Not long ago Prince George and Kelowna had the same population. Their growth has been phenomenal. Same with Kamloops. Back in 1965 Kelowna and Penticton had the same population. Kelowna has probably increased by 400%. Penticton had Paul at their city hall for years-did they not??? He left there in 1989 if he was here for 17 years-and Prince has not been any ripping success under his management. Penticton was still struggling in the early 90's to stay alive. Paul brought his management skills from Penticton to Prince George, and we started struggling to stay alive.
Get the message?????

Spankyhimself with comments like that maybe you should take your own advice.

Elaine Macdonald :
Here is a comment forwarded to Opinion 250 from Steve Thorlakson, former Mayor of Ft. St.John:
"I for one will also miss George Paul - a steadying force in tumultuous times, George was also willing to take a call from me while I was Mayor of Fort St. John and provide wisdom and guidance. George - you are a fine and gifted gentleman who has served his community with dignity and integrity! Enjoy your well deserved retirement!" Steve Thorlakson

George has been basically invisible from City employees, with the exception of his Service Delivery Strategy whose intention was to be rid of even more employees. George didn't really like "progress", or perhaps in his invisibility he couldn't even see himself?

If the Mayor of Fort St John needed to contact George Paul for wisdom and guidance, then Fort St. John could be in trouble!!!

Trusted,

You said, “Remember, evil flourishes when good men do nothing.
I expect the evil at city hall will have many successful years!!!!
If there are any good men, they whine and complain, and hide behind closed doors. They become a part of the evil by allowing it.
So go cry a river!!!!”

Wow this comment draws such a parallel it’s scary. What do you think you’re doing? You are whining and complaining and hiding behind a username. I have never seen someone show so much discontent with the city they live in and yet still remain here without doing anything about it except for complain on a website. If you think the city is doing such a bad job then step up. It sounds like you have absolutely no idea what goes into running a city so why don’t you do a little research and get yourself involved. You need to be the change that you want to see. Now this doesn’t mean you have to run for city council and I’m sure if you knew what went into being a city manager you’d run for the hills, but instead of all this useless complaining why don’t you start making proposals? And if that’s too hard for you why don’t you just move to Kelowna? You’re always talking about how great it is. And it would probably be a good idea to stop continually comparing Prince George to Kelowna because if you want to talk apples and oranges…

Do you really think people take your opinion seriously when all you do is complain? You said, “I personally do not like negativity.” Are you serious? All you do is complain! People that can only see the dark side cannot be taken seriously. You need some balance, if people can see that you see both sides they will respect you more as they see you’ve done your homework and recognize there are some good things occurring but of course there are some holes. Maybe next time you could try, “I realize that x and y has been done, but here are the holes, and here’s how we can fix them.”

It is definitely important to question decisions made by leaders as everyone can get sidetracked at times, but if you can’t think of anything better to make a positive change then stop criticizing and realize how good you really do have it. To be honest, I don’t really think that your comments on this website are really doing much to make a difference in Prince George. Possibly they make you feel better. Yet it doesn’t sound like you could ever be happy while living in Prince George. You said, and this isn’t word for word, but you said Happiness isn’t a state of mind but a feeling that comes about as the result of a joyful event or happening. This is in no way correct. You create your own happiness, if you can’t find it in your daily life you need to make some changes. And by the sound of it, the city of Prince George is creating a lot of unhappiness for you, so make a change.

I grew up in Prince George and I’m really happy I did. So many times I have heard from people not from Prince George that the people that come from PG are “good people.” And recently on quite a few occasions people have said to me, “I hear Prince George is really beautiful.” That’s a bit of a new one for me, but if you are able to sit back and look at the natural beauty of Prince George you’ll see that it really is a nice place. Prince George is not a sugarcoated city. We are hard workers and real people, and that holds true regarding the “fathers” of the city and especially City Manager George Paul. When you said about George Paul, “Gotta admit-the free ride wasn’t too demanding!!!” you have absolutely no idea.

George Paul devoted himself for 17 years to the City of Prince George. He did his job with dignity and earned the respect of many. Prince George was lucky to have him and he will definitely be missed.

And to comment on Meisner’s comments on George Paul, I never thought I’d see the day. And TRUST ME Trusted, I don’t think that after 17 years of bashing George, Meisner is trying in anyway to get into George’s good books, I think it’s a little late for that. Meisner is just telling it like it is (in his eyes), and I’m sure by next week it will be game on as usual for Meisner. But for me I do respect that Meisner does see both sides, he knows what a good job George Paul does, he just likes to keep him honest, and sometimes Meisner tries a little too hard to do that, but at least he tries?

Hope you read all my postings SMILE!!!
I have stated a number of times--I DO NOT CARE-and actually I do not care. I am just fine-thank you!!!
I actually appreciated Hedy Fry's comments. I do believe she said more to put Prince George on the map than anything city hall has accomplished. And they say "bad publicity is better than no publicity."
I would like to see Prince George an industrious city appealing to not only tourists, but investors who would like to become residents.
I remember a busy downtown area-and I see it now-and I suppose I think of what may have been the "good old days."
Something went very wrong-and I do not profess to be the one to "fix it." Nor have I suggested I have that capability.
Nor do I have a lot of confidence the "powers that be" at city hall can "fix it."
What would your proposals be, as you seem to feel you are knowledgeable enough to figure all this out.
Hearing from people not from Prince George comment that people that "COME FROM" Prince George are good people. That would indicate these "good people" left Prince George. Kind of an oxymoron-no????
I like the residents of the city, and have never said otherwise. There are many good men who strive to make changes, but people become discouraged when the door keeps getting slammed in their faces.
I am rather shocked that Meisner had to keep making the attempt to keep George Paul "honest." I did not realize that was a problem.
I, for one, never suggested George was dishonest, but then I assume you know the circumstances much better than I!!!
Do tell us more.
As I said, I appreciate this site for it's information.

Did I neglect to mention I am one of the fortunates that left???
I will still be paying around $15,000.00 in property taxes this year to the city of Prince George.
It will either be for a survey-or a trip abroad.
You should be so lucky if it goes for potholes.
Bet I really made your day!!!!
Keep smiling!!!

George Paul was one man who served our fair city for 17 years. How come the criticism's are coming out of the woodwork when he has announced he is leaving his post? I think he has done as good a job as one can expect, considering the types of people he has had to deal with.

We can't blame all of our problems on George. Can we?

Let's face it, we are all in this together. Someone has lobbied, influenced or swayed our city leaders to do what has been done.

Shame on the rest of us for not voicing our concerns regarding our vision for our city if it was different.

A change at the top is always healthy, new ideas are welcome and words of encouragement, appreciation and support could definitely be increased for everyone we put in postions that affect our future. I for one would not like to serve considering the kinds of comments, critcism and bashing I see on this site and in other places. And we wonder why we can't find better qualified people to serve? Chester

Well, I am bewildered. Knocking people for their comments, criticism, and bashing, but beginning with the comment, "George has done as good a job as one can expect-considering the types of people he has had to deal with."
What kind of back handed statement is that??? What type of people has George had to deal with??? As city manager did his imput not take precedence???
And we wonder why we can't find better qualified people to serve. Is that another "back handed" compliment- or a direct insult???
Are we negative, are we positive-or just as guilty of indecision as the people we rely on to make decisions which affect us all????
The people have said they do not appreciate tax dollars going for surveys, studies, trips abroad etc. They want the city crews to spruce up the appearance of the city and repair roadways with their tax dollars. I really have not seen any ridiculous demands made by any posters.
Has anyone paid attention???
I firmly believe city hall will eventually pay close attention to the demands of its citizens.
I would just like to see it sooner than later.
If it takes criticism to bring about action , then so be it!!!
Nothing else has worked?
Or do you know something not made public???

Trusted, Do you know George Paul personally? Have you personally contacted our Mayor or City Councillors over the years and provided them with your insights regarding the issues most important to you?

Have you voted in all of the municipal elections? Do the people you voted for share your vision for this community? How much influence did you have with them? Did you encourage them or criticize them?

Demands and criticism may be your solution, but is that the most effective way to accomplish things? I don't think so.

I've learned that you can attract bees by using honey or kicking over the bee hive. Which do you think would be most effective?

If you've served in leadership, you will agree that it is difficult to make significant changes in a hurry when it comes to government. The issues that are a concern for you must also be an issue for others. What do you think is the best way to get them to listen to us? Chester

Smile said: "And it would probably be a good idea to stop continually comparing Prince George to Kelowna because if you want to talk apples and oranges…"

I can remember when the tables were turned in the 70's and even into the early 80's still and probably in the mid to late 60's already.

PG beat its chest at every opportunity to point out it was the fastest growing community in BC. It was for probably close to a decade, and it was the second largest City in BC, which, technically speaking, it was for a while since the terminology did not deal with metro area. Thus Victoria was smaller than PG.

I wondered what all this stupidity was about when I first came here. Who cared? My main concern was that this was a livable City, and it was. I was flown here from Toronto for a job interview, rented a car and stayed a couple of days to drive out of town in each of the four directions. I loved it and came here to stay, not a step up to another job somewhere else at the first opportunity.

When I flew in it was still the old white wooden terminal building. Within 5 years we had a new airport terminal, a second indoor mall, some more taller buildings downtown that made it look and feel like a city, people downtown on weekends shopping at the Bay and the various specialty shops - two furriers, men's wear, several jewelry shops, and places to go out at night to dance and enjoy oneself, successful whacky festivals such as snowgolf, great Oktoberfest events, wonderful skiing at Tabor and Purden and canoeing and kayaking on the Willow and Bowron. In addition we had wonderful subdivisions with underground services rather than hydro poles, wide arterial roads, inexpensive lots for housing through the city auctioning system, a competition for a new cultural complex downtown which was to have a library, art gallery, performing arts centre, pedestrian connecting bridge from the library podium to Connaught Hill Park with a funicular up to a restaurant overlooking the city.

We had a few good planners at City Hall in those days, I would say until Peter Bloodoff passed away.

Somewhere something went wrong when the chit hit the fan in 1981 and the West was no longer leading the country and everything started swinging back to the manufacturing East. We have never really been able to recover from that. The leadership we have had basically has not been able to lead us through some troubling times and we fell back completely from leading the race to no longer even being in the race. In those days I had always wondered how come the Okanagan area was not more developed than it was. It had all the amenities one could ever want in a northern country. It was a year-round vacationland. Then came wine, the Coquihalla, the start of baby boomers retiring, and a rapidly inflating real estate market which made Okanagan properties look like a bargain..

So, in both the cases of PG’s growth and Kelowna’s growth, and now the pending growth of greater Nanaimo, there is really not much planning involved which caused or causes those cities to flourish. Even Vancouver has a lot to “thank” its recent pace of growing to the event of Hong Kong reverting to China and now the increasing economic growth of China itself.

It is circumstances; it is events over which one has little control. So, not seeing any natural reason for growth in this area which would parallel that to the south of us, other than the potential increasing interest in oil and gas deposits in this area now that those commodity prices have skyrocketed, Prince George is left to its own devices to create a City which has a lifestyle it can offer to industries and organizations which would locate here because we have human resources as well as relatively inexpensive development potential.

What we are lacking is people in leadership positions with the ability to visualize what such a City would look like leaders who can identify the actions which are most likely to lead to achieving the required objectives and implementing those actions to success.

Let’s face it, a group of people who cannot even figure out how to safely move increasing industrial traffic through this city in a safe fashion when they get the surprise of their life that a one lane wooden bridge has finally given up the ghost are not likely capable of dealing with some of the “bigger picture” problems they need to concern themselves with.

So, yes, it is not only fair to compare ourselves to other cities in BC, it is an absolute must to compare ourselves to other cities if we wish to draw new people to PG, since that is exactly what they do when they go hunting for a new place to live.

BTW, I was told recently that the philosphy of making a place business friendly and thinking people would then follow to take the jobs made available is no longer one which is taken for granted.

Those cities which appear to be more successful are the ones who take the opposite view - make a city livable, attractive for people to want to live there and the businesses will follow those people as they go to the place of their choice.

How true that is, I have not decided yet, but it sounds like an interesting supposition.

Another BTW - since this is really a thread about city managers. I do not expect those attributes I spoke about for leadership to reside with the City Manager's position.

In my opinion a City Manager, along with the Mayor, must nurture the environment in which forward thinking leadership can flourish - on Council, in the planning department, and with some of the major public and even private institutions which are the keys to making a city tick.