What ?

My job as a Councillor is to  respond to the will of the people.

Catherine Marshall applied and received delegate status at a Council Meeting so that she could  provide Council with  that  direction on the question of amendments to the procedural bylaw.

I asked if it was her opinion that everyone who came to the podium and took the microphone represents the will of the people.The  muffled answer appeared to be in the affirmative.

Then I asked if that was the case, what was the job of   members of Council. The answer was a little less forthright.

Ms Marshall has  great confidence  in the rightness of her own opinion. When the environmental committee was first created, Catherine was a member.  The committee was David Tomlinson's idea. I  learned that when the Mayor recounted all  David's  achievements, when he received  another  Heritage Award on Tuesday evening.

An early decision  by the committee was to have several thousand leaflets printed and circulated to promote ant-litter day.

Keep in mind, the function of an advisory committees is to advise Council..

Committees do not make decisions. They do not have budgets. They are volunteers who put their heads together and come up with solutions to problems and advise the elected body. Who in turn receive the advice at a general committee meeting. Which in turn  recommends or not, decisions to a Council meeting  Where  the  decision is ratified  and staff  receive their direction..

If an individual or  group or  organisation is waiting for a decision, they wait three times longer than needed  and it costs three times more than it needs to.

I think that's lousy customer service and the community at large is ill-served.

Last week at a Chamber of Commerce lunch, Mayor Dawe introduced Anthony Iurello, Manager in the CAO's department, to the business people and told them he, Mr.Iurello, is the man to see to cut red tape at the town hall. 

Catherine Marshall,  an initial  member of the environmental committee  may have suggested the leaflet littering idea.  I don't know about that. I do know she designed the leaflet because that is her business . The committee approved the design ,she took it to the printer and gave the order for  thousands of pieces of litter to be distributed to promote anti-litter day.

Neither Catherine Marshall or the committee had authority to spend town funds. Councillors Morris and Gaertner were both  members of the committee. The Director of Public Works was the committee's resource person and there was also a committee secretary. It seems no-one told the committee or Catherine Marshall  they  had no authority to spend town money.

When I later raised the issue at  a council  meeting,  Public Works Director said in soothing tones. "It's
 alright I have  money in my budget, I can use to pay for it"

There may have been other  councillors who shared my concern but they didn't say so.

Morris and Gaertner took the position Council should be grateful for Ms.Marshall's efforts. Graphic designs are her stock in trade and  the work was done for the committee and the town  at no charge
and it was  disgraceful  for a Councillor to  criticise   Ms.Marshall's voluntary contribution..

I didn't feel in the least bit guilty.  I hadn't started a blog then so the story was never  told...until now..

David Tomlinson wrote a letter to the editor ,as did Gordon Barnes another member of the environment
committee and both Citizens of Different Years.  advising the community  during the last election that I was the Councillor  causing the dysfunction on the last council.

Advisory committees  who don't have authority to make decisions  now have budgets  to spend.

When the environmental committee was created it was to be seven members. Eleven citizens applied.
So  Councillor Gaertner  moved and Morris seconded , let's appoint them all. So we did.

During the discussion on whether the committee should be created, I pointed out  the Director of Public Works would be expected to attend the meetings.  He  modestly responded  he didn't mind.

In his first budget after the committee was appointed, he recommended an environmental engineer be hired. Asked  about  function, he responded "to identify environmental initiatives"  I noted "and to attend environmental committee meetings no doubt"

He lowered his eyes  modestly once again and did not respond.

And that's the story on  how Topsy grows, boys and girls

Environmental Puritanism is the new religion,  dontcha know?