By Pepper Parr
July 11th, 2022
BURLINGTON, ON
Council met this morning – as a Standing Committee to review a major report on Community Benefits, Section 37 and Development charges.
It was an important matter that had good discussion that we will report on at length later this week.
Council attendance – those with an X didn’t manage to make it to city hall. That 5:00 is the clock that lets people speaking how much time they have left..
The “news” at this point is that two of the seven members of Council actually made it to city hall.
Councillors Sharman and Bentivegna were in the council chamber – the other five: the Mayor, Stolte of ward 4, Nisan of Ward 3, Kearns of ward 2 and Galbraith of ward 1 chose to take part from the comfort of their homes.
This is becoming a habit – and not a particularly positive one.
Getting ready to announce her candidacy for Mayor Anne Marsden said:
“Speechless especially following a great weekend weather wise. Perhaps they don’t want any delegations to look them in the eye, given they have managed to avoid that for most of their term. It took forever and repeatedly banging away at in-house delegation was a right.before they folded but chose to protect themselves from delegations looking them in the eye by allowing Council and Committees to be hybrid full-time rather than if sick and should not be attending in person.”
If we don’t intend the “option” to be used, then why have it??
Editor’s note: Good question.
It is my hope that Paul Sharman will soon announce his candidacy for Mayor. I believe that he has grown considerably with his third term of office and has become the fiscal and performance conscience of this Council. He would be immeasurably superior to the current Mayor and would not, in my opinion, make promises that he could not deliver or had no intention of delivering. He, again in my opinion, is neither a clinical narcissist nor an openly divisive figure.
As for the Marsdens, (note I speak of them as the indivisible unit that they are) I appreciate their ‘run for the chain’ but even their faint chance is made virtually impossible if they do not run a modern, well funded and well resourced campaign. I am led to believe that they want the platform that the campaign will offer them not necessarily the office. This is their right and has merit from several perspectives. However, it still means that we are left with what we currently have come the end of October. That thought is appalling.
It’s time for City Council to get back to City Hall. Everyone else has gone back to the workplace. Why do these people think they are so special?
We are told by the professionals, do tors and scientists, we are in the midst of a 7th COVID wave. Infections are up dramatically; hospital attendance is dramatically up; Healthcare workers are in even shorter supply. Maybe the reasoning for not attending in person at City Hall was not to do with COVID prevention, but it certainly is good reason to stay in a virtual or remote setting. Just because health restrictions have been lifted by a Provincial government swayed more in its decision making by the commercial enterprise lobby than by medics and scientists does not mean the danger has gone away.
Editor’s note: Content edited
Well, Mary – I think that this might be a stretch even by your yardsticks. I would note that the Mayor has posted quite widely how she and her campaign team (both new (very few) and old (very so)) have been out on the hustings. None of the photos showed the Mayor with a mask and her frequent hugging/mugging selfies were certainly not evidence of a 6′ distancing. Indeed, it looked very much like business as practiced in 2018 – same t-shirts, same rhetoric, same promises. Oh well – pass the Koolaid.
Fred, if you read my comment more carefully you will note I did not say that was the reason for non-attendance in person. I was making a point that each might have a reason they did not attend in person. Whether that reason is deemed acceptable to residents is another matter altogether. The reporter it would seem did not seek to question the 5 councilors in an effort to get their reasoning, which to me would be telling.
So no Kool Aid drunk.
Mary – I hesitate to be like a little dog ‘barking’ annoyingly in response but I did read your comment quite carefully. Without reference to covid and your implied support for health restrictions (and I totally agree), there really is no comment.
Mary – I regret imitating a little dog “barking’ in response to an annoying noise but I did read your comment quite carefully. In the absence of your reference to Covid and your implied support for health restrictions (and I totally agree here), there really is no comment; just an observation without any real context. BTW, I like Orange Kool Aid best.
Speechless especially following a great weekend weather wise. Perhaps they don’t want any delegations to look them in the eye, given they have managed to avoid that for most of their term. It took forever and repeatedly banging away at inhouse delegation was a right.before they folded but chose to protect themselves from delegations looking them in the eye by allowing Council and Committees to be hybrid full-time rather than if sick and should not be attending in person.