Regional · 30th August 2011
Editor
by Christopher di Armani
Alan deJersey, Denis Royer, and David Godfrey voted to spend $50,000 in direct conflict of interest.Alan de Jersey, Denis Royer, and David Godfrey voted to spend $50,000 in what appears to be a rather large conflict of interest in the handling of Union Bay Improvement District (UBID) funds.
It appears evident to me (as well as many of those who reside in Union Bay) that Alan de Jersey, Denis Royer, and David Godfrey (the former trustees recently removed from the UBID board) need a little education about the definition of “conflict of interest.”
You see, they voted to spend an additional $50,000 of UBID funds to continue financing their lawsuit against Union Bay blogger Mary Reynolds, a lawsuit in which each of these men were (and still are) personally listed as plaintiffs.
That means that each one of them personally benefited from the passage of the motion put forward by then-UBID Chairperson Alan de Jersey. The money for the lawsuit no longer had to come out of their own pockets. It came out of the UBID treasury.
From Webster’s Dictionary: a conflict between the private interests of the official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust
Dictionary.com defines it thus:
1. the circumstance of a public officeholder, business executive, or the like, whose personal interests might benefit from his or her official actions or influence.
Personally, I find the Dictionary.com definition to be much more accurate when it comes to the recent antics in Union Bay politics.
Unless your head is completely buried somewhere it shouldn’t be, it is obvious that by voting to spend another $50,000 of the UBID’s money instead of their own, their personal financial interests were advanced at the expense of all those who pay taxes in support of the Union Bay Improvement District.
That is, simply put, a conflict of interest.
Read complete article
here.
reflections.....Bitch #2
Comment by beatie on 24th February 2012
I hope you have had the chance to read the affidavids of the previous board members and administrator. I am curious to hear your opinion now. How does your heart feel?
What comes to my mind is theft, conflict, lies, and corruption to name a few.
ubid conflict
Comment by bitch #2 on 22nd September 2011
I do not live in Union Bay or the surrounding area but I did many years ago. I remember it as a very warm and loving community. Gone are the days of helping thy neighbor and getting together for idle chit chat and a coffee. Now it is lawyers calling lawyers to see how much money they can get out of the clients. SAD. The only winners here are the lawyers. As for all the info I have read about this conflict I find it very distastful to the readers, your community and your fellow family members. My heart goes out to the board who were voted out and now are being demoralized by accusations, name calling, by using the foulest of foul descriptions of their beings. I know only one of the members in question but given how well respected he is in the Comox Valley in everything he is involved with I am sure the other 2 are of the same class. I find what Mary Reynolds is writing very alarming for the moral of your community and I pity anyone who has to cross her path. I am sure a lot of the bay residents don't understand or bother to want to understand the whole conflict in question because if they did, Mary would be shot down. I am embarrassed for you Mary after reading your articles. Shame on you!
Spelling and Grammar Aside
Comment by Alan deJersey on 22nd September 2011
Oh my God, how dare someone stand up and make a comment and have an opinion contrary to those voiced by the group associated to Mary Reynolds and TAG!
The spelling and grammar mistakes are not important, at least this person had the courage to make a statement!
Seriously - what are you going on about?
Comment by Diza on 21st September 2011
I suggest that you have someone edit your writing before you boldly send it for publishing. Poor spelling and grammar make this comment impossible to understand.
The 3 trustees voted to use UBID funds and should now be criminally charged either by the current board or the taxpayers.
You say, "I am so digusted with the people in this community, so much so that I can stand to look at half of them". Clarify please!
Seriously- think about it
Comment by Long time citizen on 20th September 2011
To the person whom recently sent this repulsive yellow pamphlet secretly into our mail boxes. What's the matter can't face the people of Union Bay and let your face be shown. Im sorry, but in my opinion Mary Reynold should be sued. I would like to see what all of those opposed against the 3 trustees sueing Ms. Reynolds would feel if it was them being bashed, sevretly video tapes, constantly lashed at, yelled at, stalked at work, sign up on vehicles, constant never eneding "hissy fit" from someone who should bloody effing well know better. And regarding the meeting that was held in April, what that wonderful rediculous of a group know as TAG DID NOT let the public know, or that many people at that meeting did not understand is that if the case was won - then guess what?!?!?!?! ALL THE MONEY WOULD HAVE BEEN PAID BACK, THE COURTS WOULD HAVE MADE MARY REYNOLD PAY THE MONEY $$$$$ BACK! I am so digusted with the people in this community, so much so that I can stand to look at half of them. I do a lot of fundraising in the community and I honestly could care less to do anything for the people in this town. Its sad.
And may I please ask where on earth you found this statistic " The average annual after tax income for the Union Bay area is only $21,000.00" HUH! Umm I highly doubt that! Maybe you are only counting the people that live in seaview? THe retiree's? I really truly do not understand how you have managed to come up with this amount as being the avergae? I realize that ther is mosetly retirees, but don't forget to include the probable, mortgage free, RRSP/RRIF income as well.
Anyways said what I wanted to say, now to get on with my life and hope that those of us left in the "bay" with a sane mind manage to overcome those of you whome have lived here for 5 years and are trying to get everything for nothing and just expect to have everything just like the big citys you moved away from. Good luck with that.
Tio and Fraud
Comment by Cliff Boldt on 31st August 2011
As a former resident of Union Bay, I too have wondered, like Tio, why no one has instituted civil or criminal fraud charges against the three trustees who voted to use UBID funds..
Could it be because they don't have deep pockets or access to a public purse?
UBID conflict of interest
Comment by Tio on 30th August 2011
While I think the actions of the former UBID trustees is a definite conflict of interest I wonder why no one is pursuing civil or criminal fraud. The actions of the former trustees seems to not only misuse public funds, but spends money on a lawsuit that any first year law student would know has no basis in law. The former trustees were told by the law firm that usually represents the District that there was no legal basis for UBID to sue a private citizen: so why did these former trustees then hire a friend of one of the trustees to pursue a lawsuit that was not allowed by law? Is the lawyer friend of the trustee really that stupid? Or, was it just a means to get the citizens of Union Bay to foot the bill for a SLAPP suit against a very vocal private citizen?