Home->Kincardine
->2004->Sept


 
It is sad to hear

of the churlish behaviour of Mayor Glenn Sutton. Glenn demanded an apology from Martin Quinn before allowing Martin to speak on behalf of the Save the Pavilion Committee.
9/15/2004 Full Story...

Jim Cameron’s

letter in the Independent last week unfortunately did not contribute much to the debate for openness. It would be better he said who on the committee were for or against saving the pavilion in the first place and why. It would help the debate to know why council wanted the pavilion moved and whether those reasons still exist.  . 
9/8/04   Full Story...

 
 
Westario employees have been on strike since August 20th.

The major issue is the Letter of Understanding which guaranteed any contracting out would not result in job loss or reduction of hours for any employee.
9/29/04 Full Story...   with 'Letter of Understanding'

Mark Kraemer, Port Elgin Board Member and Chair of the Board,

was heard to say on local radio that because of the hard work and dedication of Westario employees, the company was able to pay its dividend to shareholders (primarily participating communities) months in advance.
9/22/04 Full Story...

by Fred Kirby     September 1, 2004 

My apologies to Maureen Couture for misspelling her family name; it is well for Council to have Culture but better to have Couture. At least Ms Couture’s name was spelled correctly on www.municipalmusings.com 

The future of the pavilion is more uncertain. It is difficult to believe it can survive this latest crisis. Like the $31,000.00 financial misjudgement in accepting the wrong donation option from BMTS for the medical centre, or the over-budget costs of the centre itself, and even the controversy and costs incurred over Reunion Park; the current situation at the pavilion did not have to happen. These decisions arose from a lack of process including a lack of transparency.  

Transparency would make Council’s work easier and subject to far less second-guessing. For example, a genuine public debate over the future of Reunion Beach before engaging a consultant would have been heated but not acrimonious and less costly. It would also have dispelled suspicion of hidden agenda, suspicion which only serves to poison discussion. A review of the other above incidents would likely arrive at a similar conclusion.

Mistakes sometimes happen because we lack the information required to arrive at the correct answer. At other times they result from injecting factors extraneous to the issue. At other times bad decisions are made because of personal agenda. I suspect the BMTS governance issue is rife with personal agenda totally distorting discussion. Members of Council are no different from the rest of us in any of this except they have accepted greater responsibility. If a person makes a poor decision on a major purchase, he or she is the only one affected. If Council makes a poor decision, the community pays. Openness and a wider sharing of information can bring about reasonably sound decisions. This, coupled with councillors leaving their private agenda at home, will make for healthy, informed debate and a healthy, involved community. 

I like to believe Council members are neither malicious nor stupid. It sometimes seems that way because of the manner in which they conduct their deliberations and the resulting outcomes. It does not have to be. Council can bring about participatory democracy with an appropriate process and transparency. It is their decision.

 
Then click 'Municipal Musings Website' and 'New Topic' if needed.