By Grant LaFleche, The Standard
I know, I know. You are totally excited, because the events of Monday night’s city council meeting was like watching Evel Knievel and the Kentucky Derby at the same time.
Or whatever the opposite of that would be — a Glee marathon or something?
Alright, it’s not exactly the moon landing, but it is still interesting because it represents the thing St. Catharines, and this region, seem to hate the most.
Change.
The logic behind having a dual rep — one who sits on both the city and regional council — is, insofar as I can see, sound.
It’s a way to keep the Region and city hall plugged into each other. Having someone who sits on both bodies is inherently useful to both councils, particularly in a region where the need to move away from parochialism is absolutely critical.
I do not begrudge St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik’s efforts to make the change. I think he is right about this.
Niagara has been doing the same thing, the same way, for decades, and far too often this region is a mess. Some alteration to the governance model is probably what we need.
While I agree with the dual role model, I am not totally sold on the “test drive” Monday’s night’s meeting was intended to produce by appointing councillor Matt Harris to fill the regional council seat left vacant when Al Caslin was elected Region chair.
We don’t need pilot projects. If the idea is sound and it works elsewhere, just do it.
And Harris wasn’t elected to that role.
All things being equal, this is the sort of thing that should be before voters, not decided after the fact by councils. However, as archaic as this process is, it is not corrosive to democracy. The cries of “dictatorship” by councillor Jennie Stevens Monday night were beyond ludicrous and makes me laugh.
Like this: Ha!
Nevertheless, there is something that strikes me as a little odd about Harris being named to the role, although it is not about his skills as an elected rep.
At the end of the day, he might well have been the guy council chose for the role. The other councillors didn’t put their names forward, after all.
What matters, though, is the change in the governance model.
You’d think city hall would wait to see what the Region and the province actually decide before selecting one of their own — unless the identity of that councillor is necessary to sell this idea.
To get anything through the Region these days means meeting with the approval of the right-wing cabal that imagines itself a Great Power, a gang of latter-day Machiavellis striking a blow for partisan conservatives by dealing with road repairs and sewage.
Today they take Niagara, tomorrow Berlin … or at least East Main St. in Welland.
Anyway, if Sendzik wants to push this idea through, he may well have to negotiate with the cabal. Putting forward Harris, who leans Tory politically, as his preferred choice may be the price of their support.
Or since I could be totally wrong about this, no one else was crazy enough to want to sit on two councils.
Look, I’m not a magic 8-ball. Take whichever hypothesis you like.
Ultimately, having dual reps makes a great deal of sense.
It’s good for the city and the Region.
The vote and rancor we saw at city council last night had more to do with old guard versus new than partisan alliances. It was about holding on to the way things have always been done, rather than moving forward to something new.
Just because we have always done something a certain way isn’t a reason to never change it.
So we almost, sort of, but not really have dual representation for St. Catharines at city hall and regional council.
I know, I know. You are totally excited, because the events of Monday night’s city council meeting was like watching Evel Knievel and the Kentucky Derby at the same time.
Or whatever the opposite of that would be — a Glee marathon or something?
Alright, it’s not exactly the moon landing, but it is still interesting because it represents the thing St. Catharines, and this region, seem to hate the most.
Change.
The logic behind having a dual rep — one who sits on both the city and regional council — is, insofar as I can see, sound.
It’s a way to keep the Region and city hall plugged into each other. Having someone who sits on both bodies is inherently useful to both councils, particularly in a region where the need to move away from parochialism is absolutely critical.
I do not begrudge St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik’s efforts to make the change. I think he is right about this.
Niagara has been doing the same thing, the same way, for decades, and far too often this region is a mess. Some alteration to the governance model is probably what we need.
While I agree with the dual role model, I am not totally sold on the “test drive” Monday’s night’s meeting was intended to produce by appointing councillor Matt Harris to fill the regional council seat left vacant when Al Caslin was elected Region chair.
We don’t need pilot projects. If the idea is sound and it works elsewhere, just do it.
And Harris wasn’t elected to that role.
All things being equal, this is the sort of thing that should be before voters, not decided after the fact by councils. However, as archaic as this process is, it is not corrosive to democracy. The cries of “dictatorship” by councillor Jennie Stevens Monday night were beyond ludicrous and makes me laugh.
Like this: Ha!
Nevertheless, there is something that strikes me as a little odd about Harris being named to the role, although it is not about his skills as an elected rep.
At the end of the day, he might well have been the guy council chose for the role. The other councillors didn’t put their names forward, after all.
What matters, though, is the change in the governance model.
You’d think city hall would wait to see what the Region and the province actually decide before selecting one of their own — unless the identity of that councillor is necessary to sell this idea.
To get anything through the Region these days means meeting with the approval of the right-wing cabal that imagines itself a Great Power, a gang of latter-day Machiavellis striking a blow for partisan conservatives by dealing with road repairs and sewage.
Today they take Niagara, tomorrow Berlin … or at least East Main St. in Welland.
Anyway, if Sendzik wants to push this idea through, he may well have to negotiate with the cabal. Putting forward Harris, who leans Tory politically, as his preferred choice may be the price of their support.
Or since I could be totally wrong about this, no one else was crazy enough to want to sit on two councils.
Look, I’m not a magic 8-ball. Take whichever hypothesis you like.
Ultimately, having dual reps makes a great deal of sense.
It’s good for the city and the Region.
The vote and rancor we saw at city council last night had more to do with old guard versus new than partisan alliances. It was about holding on to the way things have always been done, rather than moving forward to something new.
Just because we have always done something a certain way isn’t a reason to never change it.
Last Modified: May 15, 2015 11:57 AM