Councillors’ attendance at committee level varies widely
The work of municipal councillors goes well beyond two council meetings a month. How councillors approach that work outside of Monday nights varies greatly.
Some are dedicated to the committees of council to which they are appointed. Others are quick to answer calls from constituents.
Juggling family life, a part-time job as a municipal councillor and, for many, a full-time job, can be a challenge.
The Chatham Voice recently did a deep dive into attendance of this crop of municipal councillors, from Monday nights to the various committees on which they sit. Some had stellar attendance records, some not so much.
The Voice also learned several committees have terrible records for posting their minutes in a remotely timely manner to the municipal website. Others, when contacted, updated their minutes within, well, minutes.
In terms of councillor attendance, several – such as Marjorie Crew, Melissa Harrigan, Brock McGregor and Carmen McGregor – had gold-star-worthy attendance records of at least 85 per cent for council and committee meetings.
Anthony Ceccacci has a perfect attendance record, according to the information we discovered, but the lack of information posted by two of those committees – we found minutes from only one meeting from each of the Blenheim and Ridge Landfill Liaison Committee meetings from this term – prevents us handing out the gold star.
At the back of the class is Michael Bondy.
He describes his committee meeting attendance as “obviously horrendous.
“I’m not going to make any excuses. As a father of five, I have to work. I am employed full time and I have to choose,” he said.
On Monday nights for council, his attendance record sits at about 97 per cent. The encampment advisory committee, a committee he pushed hard to have created, it’s a perfect four for four, based on the minutes The Voice has seen.
However, Bondy also sits on the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA) board and the municipal heritage committee. He has not been to one LTVCA meeting over this term, and has made it to three of 34 heritage committee meetings.
“I did tell them if they needed me, I’d make arrangements and come to committee meetings. And that did happen at heritage,” he said.
That committee meets Wednesdays at 6 p.m., and Bondy said he works late on Wednesdays.
Crew wears her committee attendance record like a badge of honour. According to the information The Voice was able to find, between council, the encampment advisory committee, police services board and the public utilities commission, Crew has been present for all but 11 of the 158 meetings.
“When you accept this commitment for council and all of the committees the voters give you, you need to take that seriously. I take that seriously,” she said. “It’s unfortunate some don’t.”
Crew said being on those committees allows councillors to better understand what takes place at various levels around the municipality, and you serve as the eyes and ears for the rest of council.
“It’s part of our work. It’s part of the knowledge we bring to that big council table,” she said. “Just like others that are on different committees, you bring that knowledge that you get from that committee to educate all of us.”
Harrigan battled cancer during this four-year term. The West Kent councillor’s attendance record outside of that cancer journey has been impeccable. According to the records we were able to obtain, Harrigan has been absent for four of the 91 meetings over council, the audit and risk committee, and C-K board of health.
She said the commitment to citizens is “more than just Monday nights.
“It really tells a story about what some people have done to put in the work,” she said of committee attendance. “Committee work is where we really get to roll up our sleeves and get some work done. Committees allow councillors to dive really deep on some issues and get a better idea on how the municipality operates. For me, committee work is not optional; it’s a requirement.”
While Bondy sits at 0 for 35 in terms of LTVCA attendance, the other councillors who serve on that board also have low attendance numbers. John Wright is at 57 per cent, while Amy Finn is at 51 per cent.
Mark Peacock, CAO of LTVCA, said attendance by councillors at the organization’s monthly meetings has never been a slam dunk, but there are work arounds.
“We have three members from Chatham-Kent and it’s rare not to have one,” he said. “But we go to Chatham-Kent if there are any issues. We talk to the board members. Even if they aren’t at the meetings, we talk to them.”
The LTVCA board meetings also take place in the afternoon, a challenge for people who work.
As for Bondy missing every single LTVCA meeting, Peacock said he understands.
“I have talked to him. He works. That’s what he said to me,” Peacock said.
Bondy agreed.
“I’m guilty as charged. I work. I have to work. I have five kids, three of whom are in school. Employment is pretty important to me,” he said.
As for Finn and Wright, they do reach out to Peacock over specific issues.
“The two who come regularly, if they see an item, they’d talk to me or the chair if they couldn’t be at a meeting. They would address Chatham-Kent concerns,” he said.
At the beginning of each new term of council, each councillor provides a list of committees on which they’d like to serve, according to Mayor Darrin Canniff.
“I work to ensure as many preferences are met,” he told The Voice. “The recommended list is submitted to council for approval, at which point anyone could ask for changes.”
