When was the last time you heard a good delegation?

SwP thumbnail graphicBy Pepper Parr

November 5th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Where have all the good ones gone?

Where are the dozen or so people who could be relied upon to delegate responsibly, to keep the members of Council on their toes?

Where is Gary Scobie, where is Tom Muir, where is Greg Woodruff, Blair Smith, Jim Young, Roland Tanner and Hunter Lawson?

Jim Young 2

Jim Young

Roland Tanner

Roland Tanner

Scobie 3

Gary Scobie

Hunter Lawson

Lawson Hunter

Dee Dee Davies  always spoke in a measured deliberate tone abd had that ability to pause when she felt she wasn’t being listened to.

These are the people who did their homework and had the courage of their convictions to stand before council and speak on behalf of their communities.

Some say that people are going through burn-out.

Some say that the people who were always available to speak no longer believe that they were heard, worse they don’t believe they are being heard now.

Is the awkwardness of delegating under the conditions that the pandemic imposes what is keeping them away from Cit Hall?

Do delegators find they don’t feel there is any real connection with the members of council when they are speaking ?

Council chamber - new look

There is more than enough room for the members of Council to attend in person. Staff would have to take part virtually.

Could this council find a way to have at least some of the Councillors in the Council Chamber? There is more than enough room in the Chamber for at least half of the Council members be in place with the delegator at the podium.

The Halton District School Board has 4 trustees in the room.

What we aren’t seeing is any effort to make the process of citizens speaking to the elected

When a delegator has finished there is, frequently, all too frequently, a statement read by the Chair that there were no questions because the delegator made their point very clear.

Balderdash – the Chair just blew the delegator off.

What City Council is doing now is not healthy for the democracy we are all so proud of – it actually stinks.

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.

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1 comment to When was the last time you heard a good delegation?

  • You are right it is is not healthy. The Halton positive COVID figures October 27 – November 5, 2020 all higher than Hamilton (when the November 3 figures are corrected as per their MOH) who journalists are seeing a risk of going to red (today`s Spectator) clearly demonstrates that. . The week before Remembrance Day is a very appropriate time to retackle this issue with those who can change it.. What is the issue? City of Burlington/Council/Clerk are ignoring their well documented responsibilities to those this City belongs to who contribute every last dime spent by Council.