We have for years supported the idea of a smaller municipal council, but with other factors in play, perhaps this is not a wise choice at this time.
Access to council, or even a member of council is getting more and more restricted in Chatham-Kent.
Why is it harder and harder to get a complaint or concern in front of council, or even a single councillor?
Sometimes there are fewer than two council meetings a month, for starters. And now there are apparently additional roadblocks to speaking to council.
Public information sessions.
For example, the municipality held two public information sessions on the ward boundary review, Nov. 14 and 25.
And when the matter returned to council in December, no one was allowed to present a deputation on ward boundaries.
Why? Well, there were two public information sessions.
But there is a problem. It is not mandatory for councillors to attend such sessions.
As a result, no ratepayer had the ability to speak on the matter before the entire council. It’s one thing to send an email, or have one’s comments included in a report; it’s another matter entirely to look councillors in the eye as you speak passionately about an issue.
In regard to the proposed Community Hub, Chatham Coun. Alysson Storey had to put forward a notice of motion to get deputations put back on the agenda for the Oct. 21 meeting where the hub would be discussed. After all, there were public info sessions held…
If you try to circumvent the no-deputation process by reaching out to councillors face to face or by email, do not forget about the public code of conduct that is now in place.
If a member of the public takes up what the municipality deems is an inordinate amount of time of a council member or a municipal employee, you could be in violation. Too many emails could be a violation.
Complaining on social media to a staffer or a councillor over a municipal issue? It could be a violation.
Municipal government has the most impact on our day-to-day lives when compared to the federal or provincial governments. As a result, the public should have the greatest access to its councillors.
Here in Chatham-Kent, apparently, that’s not the case.
