The Inner Chamber

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "One Step Forward...Two Back":

" Why was it included in the budget? " And why was the proposed sidewalk into the park in the budget? And the proposed addition of light trucks? Because they [ staff] want you to feel good about shooting those items down and then let the bigger ones pass. Maybe they think the councillors are stupid.
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It's  tempting  to conclude. But it's not that fundamental. 
I've been telling the story as it  has evolved. 
Sometimes you have to stop and look back to see where you've been to get an idea of the direction you're going. 
Y'all recall the Strategic Plan. Cost $85,000 in the last budget. For a period of twenty years instead of five. 
It was finalized  three or four  months ago and approved  by Council.
The CAO was particularly pleased by the achievement. . Expressed appreciation to Council and said staff were  looking  forward to implementing  the plan.
It meant, the upcoming budget. the one we are working on now,  was  based on the aspirations of the Strategic Plan.
Most cited in recommendations  is the objective of  providing an "exceptional quality of life for all  residents"
It's a  laudible objective. 
If  money is being printed in the Town Hall basement. 
It cannot be a surprise that people who derive a livelihood from public coffers do not  have the same outlook as people  having  their pockets picked to  keep the coffers filled.
Everywhere  in the public sector , armies of  lawyers,planners, engineers, computer analysts, redundant  and retired public servants  band together as consultants to seek a living from  public coffers. 
Municipal conferences are  favorite browsing  grounds. New and inexperienced  Councillors  are the favourite  targets.
Normally, in a Council, a majority will be returning incumbents with varying levels of experience and intelligence. 
In our last two elections little experience  survived to  combat  the determined assault on  the town's history and traditions. Which  mainly  rest  simply on what  has worked in the past. If it ain't broke...don't fix it. 
Much was lost. After incumbent Councillors followed  the exodus of  experienced staff.. . 
A new Councillor or two can function without attracting  attention. There's time to get the gist of things before blasting on to centre stage...or not.
The spotlight is not on the neophyte. 
With a majority of newbies, there's  pushing, shoving and jostling and  alliances formed for support. .A heightened awareness of the spotlight. High expectations are imagined. 
It's not the best entry.Not enough time to find your feet. 
Mistakes are easier made than corrected. All of it  in the
public glare.
Council aproved the Strategic Plan. Staff went to work on implementation within the budget process. As they believed to be Council's intention.

Signs are, it was  not quite what Council intended.It was certainly not mine.
There is an absence but  no real culprit.  
Once underway, it's harder to reverse direction than not to start. 
Some nights are tougher than others.