By Pepper Parr
December 15th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
The City Communications department sent us the following:
The recently issued copy of City Talk, which is managed by City staff, was inadvertently sent out and delivered earlier than anticipated. City communications to residents about Council services and initiatives, like the City budget are never sent out prior to formal City Council approval. As much as possible, City staff work on communication materials like City Talk in advance, however, information isn’t shared till approvals. We apologize for the error.
The 2022 election is a good time to re-think a council that approves news in a city publication. This is pure news spin.
Burlington has a communications group that puts together the vast majority of the material that is posted on the various social media accounts the city has along with City Talk, a print piece that is delivered to the homes in the city.
A Gazette reader, who keeps an eye on things at city hall reports that her copy of City Talk was delivered on Tuesday, the 14th at around 1 pm.
“I watched the council meeting this afternoon and if I am not mistaken it was close to or after 4PM when council voted on and passed the 2022 City Budget.
Reporting news before it happens: is this a new city communications department policy.
The first article in the current edition of City Talk was ” CITY COUNCIL APPROVES 2022 CITY BUDGET: BURLINGTON TAXES REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE IN COMPARISON OF LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES”
Our reader added that the story in City Talk makes one question if Council Meetings are simply for the public when decisions are made and published before the formal vote.
Good question, especially given that it takes several days to put together an edition if City Talk, then it has to be printed and then delivered.
Not good enough. Who gets fired? Does anyone on Council approve what is being written?
”
The recently issued copy of City Talk, which is managed by City staff, was inadvertently sent out and delivered earlier than anticipated. City communications to residents about Council services and initiatives, like the City budget are never sent out prior to formal City Council approval. As much as possible, City staff work on communication materials like City Talk in advance, however, information isn’t shared till approvals. We apologize for the error.”
The above was the statement I received, from my Ward 2 Councillor, Sharon Will, Communications Advisor.
The issue is NOT that this publication was sent out early. More importantly this publication was ready to go with information concerning a budget that had not been approved by the Council.
Other issue is, this is not a one off!
The words are “prepared anticipation”.
As it turns out correct anticipation. Mountains out of molehills, me thinks.
Question is new policy or continuing one. Council being simply a rubber stamp process has been questioned by many for years and under numerous Mayors. The earliest example we remember is the last Council meeting before the election that saw Jack Dennison join council. One delegate clearly showed council how the swim pool stats used to justify Tansley Woods being a done deal before the election were incorrect. It was asked that the matter go back to staff for an explanation and be brought back after the election for discussion and vote on Tansley Woods. If our memory serves us correct (believe we have the Cogeco tape of this meeting somewhere) only a few councillors voted to have staff check it out and Tansley Woods became a done deal. The vote was recorded in the minutes and it is possible Chris Glenn was on staff at the time, or perhaps it was just before his time, if anyone wants to verify this in terms of the facts.