Questions won't end with Andy Wells' resignation as mayor

In The Telegram, February, 14, 2008

Political climate change

Sometimes the right things happen for the wrong reasons. St. John's Mayor Andy Wells will not be both the mayor and the head of the province's Public Utilities Board after all, but not because the mayor has listened to the chorus of displeasure about his plan to Hoover up the equivalent of some $280,000 a year.

Instead, Wells has been given his marching orders by Premier Danny Williams, who issued a blunt press release Wednesday saying Wells would not hold both jobs, and that the change was being made because "this issue (the double-dipping) is taking away from the fact that Mayor Wells is an outstanding appointment as head of the PUB."

Williams is not backing down from his recent support of the mayor - far from it. In fact, the premier took the time to spell out that he really doesn't have a problem with Wells doing both jobs.

"He is eminently qualified and I am extremely confident he will be a valuable asset in that organization. As well, I stand by my belief that the mayor is quite capable of doing both the job as mayor and running the PUB. We have reconfirmed repeatedly that no conflict of interest exists, with the exception of land expropriation where we have already stated Mayor Wells would excuse himself.

"That's a backhanded way of saying, "There's nothing wrong with what Wells wants to do, but you all just won't shut up about all the good we're doing here."

Nice try.

The fact is that, in several provinces across the country, Wells couldn't get within 15 feet of taking both positions. Why? Because in many other jurisdictions, it's eminently clear that an incorporated municipality delivering essential utilities like water and sewer to the public is - by definition - a public utility.

The government here must be wilfully blind to the fact that the city actually delivers those utilities to the public, and takes fees to do so, and that Wells would be sitting in judgment over a board whose decisions would affect his other employer, the City of St. John's.

But unless the whole press release was to solve a problem while saving the most face possible, it's hollow at best.

The reality is there's no way to defend holding down two full-time jobs - and two full-time salaries from the public purse - just because you've made bad legal decisions in the past.

Of course, the questions won't end with Andy Wells' resignation as mayor.

There's still the question of why Premier Williams picked Wells in the first place, and why the hiring didn't go through the usual competitive process of the Public Service Commission.

There's also the question as to why a premier would defend the indefensible for so long.And there's the question of how this all meshes with the Williams boast that, "we believe that a strengthened public service will ensure that individuals are being hired on their merits as opposed to who they know in government."