By Pepper Parr
March 1st, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
Is someone kidding here?
On March 7th, Council will meet in a Workshop setting to:
Review of fundamentals of parliamentary law
Review of commonly used motions and precedence of motions (ranking order)
Characteristics of an effective chairperson
Presiding practice – the fundamentals of parliamentary procedures
Elements of effective meetings/keeping meetings on track
The workshop will be facilitated by James (Jim) Lochrie, CPP-T Certified Professional Parliamentarian and teacher of parliamentary law and Doris Duni, co-presenter. We can assume the two facilitators are being paid – there’s a sterling example of fiscal prudence.
The training they are getting is something they should be paying for out of their own pockets – will there be training on what a Council member should wear – there is more than one that could use some help from a decent consultant.
This Council is made up of seven people. Five of the seven have served on term and are part way through their second. The Mayor and Councillor Sharman have been in office since 2010! And they haven’t leaned the fundamentals of parliamentary procedure?
The Mayor’s rant, click HERE to watch, was just plain bad behaviour and the nursing of a grudge. No amount of training can eradicate stuff like that. You re-elected her – so it appears to be acceptable.
Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.
Parliamentary Law is a JOKE, all one has to do is look at what transpires daily in the Course of Commons. Bringing it down to the level of municipal government is a waste of time. A workshop on respect, dignity & decorum would be a far better place to start!
There once was a girl from Greely
Who defended her clowns quite freely
When asked why she would
She said ‘cuz I could’
Besides, Pete will save me, ideally.
City Council does not need a Workshop in Parliamentary Law! This is ridiculous!
What our Burlington Council needs is a “Workshop on Civility in the Workplace” at their own expense.
I wonder if someone filed a complaint accusing someone of not following these basic rules – and not treating their fellow council members with respect – and this is the result of that? Hmmmm. Agree that voters shouldn’t have accepted this.