By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
One of the tasks facing Chatham-Kent’s next council is the examination of how individual councillors serve on committees and boards.
This comes following the approval of a motion from Wallaceburg Coun. Carmen McGregor at a recent council meeting, directing administration to prepare a report on the matter ranging from attendance to compensation.
In her comments, McGregor stressed that council members have a responsibility to the public to fulfill their duties on committees and boards.
“Bringing this forward now gives the next council an opportunity to establish clear expectations early in its term,” McGregor told council. “Members should understand the commitment they are accepting, and residents should have confidence that those appointments are being fulfilled.”
As part of the discussion, council heard from municipal clerk Judy Shantz who explained how councillors are appointed to various committees and boards.
According to Shantz, a list is circulated to council at the beginning of each term, allowing councillors to rate the committees or boards they prefer. For the current term of council, she said Mayor Darrin Canniff and chief administrative officer Micheal Duben met to put the various committees together all the while trying to accommodate individual requests from councillors.
Following the selections, Shantz said the recommendations are presented to council in open session and if anyone wants to change or be placed on a different committee, the request would go to a council vote.
Council also learned committee schedules are set by boards and committee leaders, as that’s not under the purview of council.
Following a question from East Kent Coun. John Wright, council learned that many of the various committee meetings take place during the day, something potential councillors who work full time may not be aware of when they make their initial choices.
The motion from McGregor marks her last as a C-K councillor. The Sept. 21 meeting was the last she will attend after serving for 12 years as a Wallaceburg councillor.
Earlier this summer, The Chatham Voice published a story that reviewed councillors’ attendance on various meetings over the past four years. Attendance for council nights was exemplary, but several committees saw low turnout by appointed councillors to their respective committees.
