By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Public deputations regarding the looming vote on the downtown Chatham Community Hub project are going to be allowed at the Oct. 21 council meeting.
That’s the night elected officials will vote on moving forward with the next phase of the project that will see the Sears building repurposed to include the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, the Chatham branch of the Chatham-Kent Public Library and the C-K Museum.
Council approved a motion from Chatham Coun. Alysson Storey on the issue in a 15 to 1 vote at the meeting Oct. 7.
“I think deputations are a really important piece of our democratic process,” Storey said in support of the motion. “No matter where you stand on the issue, everyone has the right to come to council if they’re comfortable doing so.”
Storey said she was taken aback when she discovered deputations wouldn’t be allowed at the meeting, leading her to ask for the change.
In response to a question from South Kent Coun. Anthony Ceccacci about whether administration has followed the proper procedure, CAO Michael Duben said stakeholder engagement on the matter has been carried out, garnering input from at least 1,000 people.
Duben explained residents were able to attend a public meeting about the hub and had the opportunity to
speak to council, staff and the architect. They were also encouraged to make their views known through written submissions online, he said.
Both Chatham Coun. Brock McGregor and Ceccacci gave props to staff about the way stakeholder engagement has been carried out, each stating the process has been “open and transparent.”
Going forward, administration has been directed to notify council and the public at least two council meetings in advance of a request to change the deputation allowance in regard to further decisions about the hub development.
