Highest and Best Use of Time ?

The previous post opened with a compliment to myself.

Thank you.   I needed that.

Mayor Dawe and Councillor Abel have difficulty concealing impatience when I  talk.

Rules of order state  a member recognized  has the floor and shall speak without interruption.

I try to organize my thoughts . I  often start , as I do in a post , from experience to make my point.

The Mayor's habit  now is to interrupt with the question "What does that have to do with
the issue"  without giving me the chance to complete the reference.

He signals with a twirling finger to speed it up.

The  actions display  more about the Mayor .

Respect for the Chair  and the process is ingrained after all the  years   The discipline is hard to shake.

But  there is a negaative effect.  Especially when Councillor Abel echoes the Mayor .

" That's  right' he says " we don't want to hear the story"

Councillor Abel  takes out his day book and puts his time  to better use copying details of upcoming events  to  attend.

He  reports  each week during Public Service Announcements  section of the  Council Agenda.

The minutes frequently reflect a page or more .

I was not a Councillor when that  agenda item was created. I've never understood  the connection to corporation  business   Yet  it takes precedence.

A decision  on $26 million for a public works and parks yard and garage  was made  between 10.30 to 11.00 p.m.

By the way, the $26 million price tag is an estimate.

Specifications  and tender documents need to be prepared and bids called.

Three months  are allowed before closing. Letting a contract a highly legalistic process.

This  contract  is multi- faceted.

Bids are to state a price  without this or  that or the next thing ???

Sub contractors will be involved.

Any contractor  along the line could lose his shirt if he's not careful.

Bids  will undoubtedly be sufficient to ensure against that possibility.

Analysis of the bids  will be complicated.

Estimates,  while in our hands, more than doubled.

Final price of the final product and final timing of completion cannot  yet be secure.

Problems, if they occur, could be front and centre at the time of election.

How smart is that?

Could it have been avoided ?

Would sufficient time for deliberation, with attention of all Council encouraged, at a reasonable time in the evening,  have made a difference?

Could the decision have been unanimous insteaad of half of Council opposed.. Those are not good odds for a decision of this magnitude.

No great assurance to the community the decision was the right one.

We will never know the answer  to the question because it was not allowed to happen.