1:12 a.m. - 2004-06-08
Strange Dreams
I had another (I need to sit down) apology from Elections Canada today. This time from the finance division about not being available yesterday to help us with our payroll transmission. On top of that several Returning Officers have called in the past couple of days just to ask how I am. Makes me nervous. It's very odd and puzzling to me when people are nice to me, it's not the norm. What's gotten in to everybody? Oh right, that very rare (last in the 1800s)Venus conjunction/transit of Venus and the sun is visible in the very early morning tomorrow. Wonder if love and money are part of that picture - not particularly together - too. Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.
The staff meeting this morning was quite tense - the first since the incident the other night. I chose to focus on the next three weeks leading to voting day. I brought the calendar of events (aide memoire)that we must follow and showed that we make the halfway mark this weekend. I told everyone that I want them to take two days off this week. I'm not being nice, I explained. The two weeks starting Wednesday next week go from incredible pressure to unbearable, ceaseless activity. I don't want anyone dropping dead on me. I also don't want the potential for errors or blow ups to increase any more than it will already be likely because of everyone being exhausted.
From Ottawa I got approval to increase the hours for my Assistant Automation Co-ordinator at the very end of the day. That was a gift and again I was amazed at how eaasy it was to get unlike the extensive begging I normally have to do for even the least resources. I'd ask too have someone pinch me to wake me up but I'm not certain I want to know that I'm drreaming.
Several of the staff came to me independently to ask that the instigator of the incident last week be removed from the office staff. They all said that they feel afraid that it is only a matter of time before she creates another crisis and they don't want to have to cope with it. They are all also feeling tension because of the waiting for the other shoe to drop. I know that whatever I choose to do is going to cause a strong reaction and some upheaval. I want to choose the path that causes the least harm and distress, but I have no idea what that action should look like. Maybe I'll be able to figure it out tomorrow, Ms Scarlett.
A lot of people coming in to vote today and a lot of phone calls as people receive their Voter Information cards. The common irate voter today were the seniors who want mobile polls to come to their institution so they can vote with greater ease. I kept explaining that once I have the counts in from the door to door registration officers then I would be able to figure out and confirm with them when they will be voting. It all hinges on the numbers.
Another school calling today with trouble with having us use their school for a polling station. Compromise was to divide the gym and share the facility. Works for me. The real puzzler came at the end of the day when I logged into the newest of the communication tools loaded on to my computer. One of its features is to log all the transactions or exchanges I have with Elections Canada in Ottawa - it's a blog government style. Curious was the fact it was very selective in which discussions were recorded. The second oddity was the tacking of the one incident where Ireported to them at the beginning of April that one of the parties had been representing themselves as Elections Canada when they called to recruit workers fo r their campaign and were also asking for voter information. There are fairly significant penalties for impersonation. My documenttation had included e-mail written by other people. It wasn't just hearsay - there was tangible evidence as well. By the time the "trouble ticket" was closed on Friday june 4 at around noon. The explanation had gone from what I had first given EC to "Returning Officer expressed concern because one candidates team was representing itself to the other candidates as EC." Huh?. I showed the sequence of transactions to a couple of my staff and their assessment was that EC did not want a confrontation with any of the political parties right now so decided to "reframe" the picture to something more palatable or something that required less action. Integrity in government. Yeah baby.
The balance of the day was simply just pushing forward with all the paperwork and planning that needs to be done. Three of my guys were in and out of the office today just checking on Mom. My youngest had barbecued chicked and fusilli ready for me when I arrived home. What is going on here?
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