Council fixes the pests!
Finally Cobourg Council has figured out how to business in public while meeting in semi-secret, free from from the public that want to say something - ban delegations, but not really banning them! The system is easy and was probably designed by the person who had recently signed out the latest edition of "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller from the public library. It works like this - anyone wanting to speak to Council must provide a copy of the presentation being made to the Town Hall by the end of business on Wednesday of the week preceding the council meeting. One big problem; if one suspects that the item that you wish to talk about is on the agenda you cannot find out until 2.30pm the next day.
What a delicious touch of bureaucracy, the only problem is that it is probably illegal and a violation of the Charter of Rights, but who has any money to test that piece of paper. The first person to be caught in this paper maze is Keith Oliver. Wanting to file a response about the report that replied to his public submission about the application to build a Home Depot, he was told by a member of the Town's staff that he must file his presentation before being allowed to be put on the agenda. Not having time to respond or even having a copy of the report because the agenda had not been published he will not be submitting a rebuttal. But he sure is vexed!
Of course this rule can easily be got around - just file a presentation in point form and elaborate at Council, but that would mean that Council members would have to read the agenda to find out what was going on, some hope of that!
What a delicious touch of bureaucracy, the only problem is that it is probably illegal and a violation of the Charter of Rights, but who has any money to test that piece of paper. The first person to be caught in this paper maze is Keith Oliver. Wanting to file a response about the report that replied to his public submission about the application to build a Home Depot, he was told by a member of the Town's staff that he must file his presentation before being allowed to be put on the agenda. Not having time to respond or even having a copy of the report because the agenda had not been published he will not be submitting a rebuttal. But he sure is vexed!
Of course this rule can easily be got around - just file a presentation in point form and elaborate at Council, but that would mean that Council members would have to read the agenda to find out what was going on, some hope of that!
1 comments:
Having watched Manfred Schumann last night at Town Council, and then suffered through the "questions" asked of him by Councillors, I'd say we have another problem concerning presentations to Council.
The boys were too busy haughtily taking offense to mild mannered comments from Mr.Schumann to give a single thought to the content of his presentation.
Valid points were raised that were swept aside by the petty whining coming from our brave elected representatives, who seem more interested in preserving their own jobs in election year than providing fair, reasonable stewardship of the town's bountiful resources.
It is telling that Councillor Brocanier referred to citizens as "voters", on the few occasions he mentioned the public at all.
It's unfortunate that Council perceives every concern, every question, as some kind of personal slight to them. Why can't they consider our input? Why do they think we're too stupid, or too confused, to make a real contribution to town life?
Conversely, what makes these guys think they are all wise and knowing? Winning an election does not a Supreme Being make, but our Councillors behave like they think they're pretty special; like important pigs grunting and snorting as they belly up to the trough - kindly provided by a developer or two.
They're more like little boy bullies than the responsible town leaders they should be, and we wish we had! Time to grow up Councillors; these issues are too important to be decided by emotional considerations instaead of reason.
DJO
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