Dirty Deeds

Althought it has now been more than 7 years since I left my job in New Zealand working for a local authority, still waters continue to run deep. As I have likely mentioned previously, I accepted employment with the property department at Dunedin City Council, knowing already that we were going to be moving to Sweden. I knew that I needed to update my qualifications before moving to Sweden, and the only workplace where I would have sufficient free time to focus on this was, at a local authority. My job with City Property was perfect as I could complete a week's work in a couple of days, and then spend the rest of my time studying. Not that I had any less work than others, I just wasn't as skilled as some when it came to stretching out the work to fill in the time available.

 

Having spent quite a few years working in the private sector, I often would myself in conflict with the methodologies employed within local authorities. Especially when working at City Property, where I was working in my field of expertise. In the beginning, I rather foolishly thought that I could change their ways. Unfortunately that usually resulted in a ganging-up response, and me being shoved back in to my corner. In the end I gave up and focused on the happier task of preparing for our move to Sweden. But I was still neither blind nor deaf, and continued to be irritated by the levels of corruption and self serving empire building that appeared to be all around me.

 

At one point during my employment, still believing that justice would win the day, I took a particular corruption concern directly to the CEO of the council. While I shouldn't have been surprised, I was genuinely disappointed when my concerns were simply batted away, without so much as a quick review. Despite having gathered up a very large pile of evidence, that was the first and last time that I approached anyone, internal or external to council. Bad people usually win.

 

Now, it may have taken 7 years, but maybe there is still some hope left in the World. Around the same time as my departure, my department manager also resigned. Supposedly to pursue greater glory. It hasn't quite worked out for him and he continues to be hunted today by his former employer with regard to several very dodgy property deals which DCC don't seem to be able to shake.

 

While that pleased me to learn, the best was yet to come. The deputy manager of the property department, who had been running the biggest contract scams for years, finally got found out a couple of months back, and was duely immediately escorted from the building. Minus keys and golden handshakes. The scam that did her in, in the end, was the same insider trading scam I had tried to bring to the attention of the CEO 7 years earlier. It took 3 Changes of CEO Before they found one with enough morals and common sense to listen to people.

 

While I missed the opportunity to be a part of the process, I take comfort in the result. I had enough infomration to take down the corrupt leadership within City Property, but chose (save my one 5 minute chat with the then CEO) never to use it. Turns out that the villans involved didn't need anyone's help after all.