By Jim Thomson
March 24, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
To: Mayor Marianne Meed Ward cc: City Council
Re: Due Process under the Procedures Bylaw
The following is a machine transcription of your remarks following the lunch break at the Council Meeting on March 21.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward: “We need to have flexibility along with our rules.
“For process preparation and advance notice to the degree possible, recognizing that we always want to be flexible for new issues that arise in committee and council. But I will note that this report was available to us 13 days prior to the discussion at committee. We had quite a discussion at committee on this item. There was another almost week between that committee and today’s council meeting. And we got the amendment actually during this council meeting at 1130, just before the break for lunch. So sometimes that happens. We’ve all been there.
“But to the degree possible, I strongly encourage council members to prepare their amendments so that they can be brought to the committee meeting for discussion, so that they can be circulated primarily to the public in advance, so the public can delegate and speak to them. We don’t have anyone able to speak to it today because the public was not aware of this. Again, that does occasionally happen.
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward: “respectful to your colleagues, to staff, it is also respectful to the public and our process.”
“We need to have flexibility along with our rules. But to the degree possible, I strongly encourage folks that’s also respectful to your colleagues. It would not have necessitated the need for a recess. It’s also respectful to our staff. We didn’t have all the staff needed, we had to pull into the meeting. So, again, as much advanced notice as people are able to provide, that is much appreciated, that is respectful to your colleagues, to staff, it is also respectful to the public and our process.
“So, I just want to put in a little plug that whenever we are able, recognizing things arise in committee, things arise based on delegations. And that is okay.”
Mayor you are so full of it.
It was you that introduced the staff directions under discussion at committee on the March 2nd with no opportunity for the public to comment on them.
You also introduced the amended calendar at the December 5th committee meeting in violation of the Rules of Procedure and the Public Notice Procedure. There were no written records in the December 5th meeting for the public to comment on at the subsequent council meeting.
It appears that it is good to be the Mayor, no need to follow the rules.
Good to also be a friend of the Mayor. Councillor Nissan introduced his amendment with no advanced warning to the public. Why wasn’t he given a lecture about procedure?
Councillors Stolte, ward 4 and Kearns ward 2
I want to thank Councillors Stolte, Kearns and Sharman for crafting the amendment so that the public finally gets to find out what the process for Engagement on Bateman is going to look like. I would also like to thank Councillors Kearns and Sharman for the amendment to the report from the workshop, that will ensure that there is also public engagement on the Procedures Bylaw.
Jim Thomson is an Aldershot resident who has delegated frequently in the past couple of years.
I believe anyone who watches the city council meetings will agree, that very little has changed from the first term of this council. It continues to be the same old ‘dog and pony show’ led by our mayor.
Absolutely, but some people need to step up and let both dog and pony free. Would you have any idea who I have in mind? It’s one thing to be beaten – quite another to be ‘beaten down’ and cringe thereafter. Hoo Ray and thank you mayor!!! What a complete disappointment. If this is how she wants to be, then she should have had the integrity to step away. From one of the best to perhaps the least.
Here’s the link, start at about 4:04. https://burlingtonpublishing.escribemeetings.com/Players/ISIStandAlonePlayer.aspx?ClientId=burlington&FileName=Council%20Encoder_Regular%20Meeting%20of%20Council_2023-03-21-09-13.mp4
Make sure to keep watching after the Mayor’s rather lengthy spiel, while noting the tone of voice, and hear at 4:17 the response by Councillor Kearns. She makes the point Jim makes here, giving an example of a recent situation where Nisan added an amendment in a similar manner and was not subject to any such lecture about procedure and “showing respect” to staff and their colleagues etc etc etc. She asks for “fairness across the board.” I echo that request and I think that would show respect to all of council, staff, and citizens from all wards, would it not?
Honestly folks, just watch meetings and see if you think the rules seem the same for all, if the way the members are spoken to and about are the same for all. See what the atmosphere is like.
And boy, hearing the admonishments about being “respectful” is something else.
Lynn,
Rory’s amendment was earlier in the same council meeting, at about 1:51.
Wow! Thanks for this, Jim. I thought at least it was a different meeting! Makes this even more absurd, obvious, and telling.
Mary Anne needs to resign this lack of preparation and disinterest continues to be a useless timeframe to discuss these issues .
I did attend a council meeting prior to the pandemic and this lack of preparation was noted by Mary Anne what does this mean there’s one word for it mediocre, look at what has happening in the downtown area
Who is this Mary Anne you refer to?
You show a lack of preparation. Ha Ha.
If you are going to complain about someone, at least get their name right. You should also probably use their last name and not be so familiar,
Thank goodness that there’s one honest man out there. Well done Jim! Shining my light on you. I understand that one of the Councillors attempted to submit an amendment but was some minutes late of the Clerk’s deadline (a delay actually caused by the Clerk’s Office in failing to respond in a timely fashion) and was told that the amendment could not be put forward. I think that we need to understand who is serving whom. When an unelected bureaucrat can stop a duly elected representative from forwarding a policy proposal because of an administrative procedure, then we have a very serious problem with what we understand to be a democratic assembly. Staff should never be in a position to block the appropriate and designated responsibilities of our elected representatives. The Clerk and the City Manager, who condones and enables this behaviour, should be censured.