The unfolding audit scandal at Calgary City Hall, continues to dismay Calgary taxpayers. It is apparent that political oversight was either lacking or worse. I warned of this many times when I was on Council in the late '90's - these problems were entirely predictable in my mind. I also introduced legislative initiatives that would have likely gone a long way towards preventing such issues, and I did that at both the Municipal level and also at the Provincial level ( Bill 207 Municipal Councilors Disclosure and Protection Act, Qui Tam (Whistleblower Reward) legislation, Motions on Ethics, Governance, Corporate procurement procedures).
At the time, the notion that fraud might be occurring within Government, was scoffed at. I don't think anyone is so certain now. How tragic for hard-pressed taxpayers, now caught up in serious recession, to have been so let down by the people they elected. If anything, this only serves to prove how important it is to take more time to really select political candidates with care. Financial abilities clearly should rank at the top of what is needed now.

Jon Lord

Candidate for Mayor, Calgary 2010