March 31 – The anniversary of my political awakening

I couldn’t let today pass by without acknowledging the first anniversary of the event that changed it all. Have you ever had something happen that was a striking moment that changed a course of action for you? I’ve had a few and this was one of them.

On Tuesday March 31 2015, there were numerous copies of an unsigned letter left at town hall and at the local arena in town. This was done the morning of a public budget meeting. This letter that we now refer to as “the poison pen letter” attacked my husband’s character for expressing his view about our local politics. Up to this point, my husband had attended a few town council meetings and he had some concerns (as many others did too), that some of our town councillors were taking direction from a small political group that had formed during the previous council’s term. He had expressed this opinion publicly on Facebook. Someone then took his comment out of context and with a poorly written commentary about him, distributed it around town. To say I was angry would be an understatement. We refer to this day as “the day they woke the dragon”. I could hardly believe that in 2015 such a vexatious act of bullying could even occur. Frankly, the fact that it did occur, only confirmed my suspicions that what my husband had written was true, otherwise, why would anyone care? I think the author(s) and distributor(s) thought they would embarrass and bully him into silence. Talk about a miscalculated move. If that was their goal, it was an epic fail.

Then and there, we made a conscious decision, that one of us would attend every single town council meeting to see what was really going on. We started out taking turns, however, my husband found it difficult to sit quietly and simply observe some of the shenanigans that transpired. I found the meetings somewhat intriguing, almost fascinating, in a bizarre sort of way. I also found it difficult to sit quietly and observe the shenanigans, so I took to taking notes during the meetings to keep myself busy.  So, we then decided that going forward, I would now attend all of the meetings and he would take care of our busy family life on Monday night’s.

I became politically involved in a variety of ways. I sent emails to our town council when something concerned me. I spoke on the phone a few times with some of our councillors. I followed the articles in the news and most especially on social media. I regularly commented and offered my opinion on social media. I also began writing letters to the editor when it was warranted. Most importantly, I started to attend every single public meeting.

I’ve learned a lot in the past year in regards to local town politics but also about my town in general. I’ve learned that the good, honest people far outnumber the agenda-driven ones. I’ve learned we have a few people in key positions that I refer to as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They know I’m watching and they don’t like it. Again, why would one care they’re being watched if they’ve nothing to hide? Being an elected member of a town council is, after all, a public role with public responsibilities. I’ve also made a lot of new friends along the way. Strangely enough, I have had people confide various concerns with me and I’ve also figured out the various roles that many people play within our town’s strange “underworld” of politics. Do I know it all? Heck no. But I’ve become an expert at making inferences, listening intently, researching and playing connect the dots.

All of this to say, that I made a commitment to myself a year ago to follow through and watch this council until the end of their term. I am hoping that in the fall of 2018 I will be able to retire from what has become an odd part-time gig. I am also really hoping that next term we will elect people that are beholden to no one other than the entire population at large of the great town of Amherstburg.

So, here’s to you Poison Pen Letter! Happy Anniversary! 🙂

Tuesday March 29th Special Town Council Meeting

Well, overall, this was an interesting meeting, if only for watching the dynamics on council and seeing how some things have changed and for the better, in my opinion.

Special note: Councillor Fryer and Deputy Mayor DiPasquale were absent from tonight’s meeting. Ironic, because Councillor Fryer wanted the Code of Conduct Policy to be the first one approved, then misses the meeting where it’s finally up to be approved? Hmmm…..There were also only 3 (including me) members of the public present for tonight’s meeting. One left early, when things started to drag on…..what a smart man. Also, Councillor Courtney left at approximately 6PM because she had to get to work. (There was still a quorum, so this was not a big issue.)

Tonight was a policy review meeting and I had seriously thought and hoped it would be over and done with in 40 minutes, but no…..overall, the meeting lasted about an hour and 10 minutes.

Tonight’s meeting was to adopt three policies, that have all been in deferral limbo for some time now.

• Accountability and Transparency (as deferred from Nov. 2, 2015)
• Code of Conduct for Members of Council (as deferred from Nov. 2, 2015)
• Delegation of Powers and Duties (revised and brought back as per direction from June 1, 2015)

The three policies were addressed all together, so at times it was difficult to figure out which policy was being questioned, however, the Accountability and Transparency policy seemed to get the bulk of the questions.

Councillor Meloche opened with a few questions, which the CAO addressed and all seemed well. Councillor Courtney was very impressive tonight. She found several typos and sentence structure errors in the document (e.g. sometimes compliant was written but it should have said complaint, yes a simple switch of 2 letters but 2 very different words with very different meanings.). Also, she must have really read through these policies with a fine tooth comb because her questions were precise, concise and on point. She asked a few pertinent questions that either the Mayor or the CAO were able to answer and clarify. Then Councillor Pouget started to ask questions……question after question after question. She seemed very concerned with committee meetings being recorded. (Why? They’re public meetings too. Do I really have to start attending committee meetings too to keep them accountable? The fact they’re not comfortable with them being recorded leaves me wondering…..). The Clerk clarified that the procedural by-law states that all meetings are to be recorded, including committee meetings.Then Councillor Pouget questioned the “procedure” portion of the Accountability and Transparency policy.  She wanted to have “and council” added or to have that portion removed. Seems it was removed from the other 2 policies. Anyway, Councillor Pouget’s questions started coming fast and furious. She dominated the meeting, without a doubt. I’m not sure if this would really qualify as “discussion” or more of an interrogation, but I digress. There was no stopping her. Councillor Lavigne looked agitated. I could feel his pain. Once it was apparent that Councillor Pouget would be questioning the policies ad infinitum, one member of the public tapped out and left. My dream of the whole thing being done in 40 minutes vanished.

Councillor Pouget then asked a lot of questions about the code of conduct violations for committee members. Wondered if it was 2 or 3 strikes until they’re out. Must be somebody on a committee she’s either trying to save or somebody she wants to see gone. Could be either one. I didn’t really understand why she felt it was such a big deal for the committee members violations. (Shouldn’t that be the committees concern? Shouldn’t she be concerned with council’s violations?)

Councillor Pouget also had a lot of questions in regards to code of conduct and the Police Services Board. The CAO had to point out that any members of council represent the Town of Amherstburg at all times and should act accordingly. Seems simple enough. Nope, not simple. More questions……I started to kick myself for ever thinking this could all happen in 40 minutes.

Councillor Meloche made the motion to approved the 3 policies with the minor changes around 5:50 or so. Councillor Lavigne seconded it. I started to have hope, but NO!!!!! Councillor Pouget crushed my dreams with more questions, this time about street closures and events. The CAO patiently explained to her that the current council’s motions supersede the policy, however, the policy is to be reviewed every 5 years and the next council could remove or amend the current council’s motion to make every event come before them for approval. Just when I was ready to throw my hands in the air and leave, Councillor Lavigne spoke up. 🙂  This made me very happy. He explained that these policies are the framework, that all other motions supersede certain specific areas of the policy. The idea being that the policies will be reviewed and in place so that the next council doesn’t have to sit through 1700 hours of policy review. (Thank you Councillor Lavigne. You stole the words right out of my mouth. Yes, I too, want to get the heck out of here. Aren’t these policies obvious?) However, yes more questions ensue from Councillor Pouget. Just before 6PM, Councillor Courtney asks one last pertinent question and then says she has to leave to go teach, however, there is still a quorum for the meeting to continue. (I think Councillor Lavigne looked jealous that he couldn’t leave too. I know I felt envious….)

More discussion and questions followed from Councillor Pouget. I’m done reliving it. Finally, at 6:04 PM, the motion passed to accept the 3 policies.

Afterwards, there was about 5 or 10 minutes of arguing about who was invited and who was not invited to some type of meeting about the McGregor Clinic. I’ll be honest, I stopped taking notes. Frankly, it’s hard to stay focused during the constant back and forth and repetitiveness.

I also learned that council was told not to attend the Strategic Plan public meeting at the Libro Centre tonight. It seems if they attend, it’s seen as a council meeting, especially if there is a quorum (4 or more present). So, they’ll have to read about it in the paper tomorrow I guess. I guess I could have offered to go and blog about it, but nah, I can only take so much in one evening. I’m still recovering from last week’s fiasco of a meeting.

To keep things interesting, I think I’m going to start to give Councillor of the Week awards after meetings. My criteria will change randomly based on my mood and the topic of the night’s discussion. Don’t want to get boring. So, the winner of tonight’s Councillor of the Week award goes to Councillor Courtney, she was on fire with her concise, pertinent questions. Close runner up, Councillor Lavigne, I like his “get it done” attitude. If it weren’t for him, I may still be there! Gotta give credit where credit is due.

In preparation for Tuesday March 29th Special Council meeting

Well, here I thought I’d get a week off, but no……denied.

Monday is a holiday for municipal offices so there is a special council meeting scheduled for Tuesday March 29th 2016 at town hall for policy review. Afterwards, at 6PM there is a Strategic Plan public session at the Libro Centre. Somebody, somewhere, seems to think council can get 3 policies approved within 40 minutes or so, to then get to the arena for the 6:00 start of the Strategic plan meeting. We’ll see, they are three big ones.

Here are the 3 policies to be reviewed and adopted :

• Accountability and Transparency (as deferred from Nov. 2, 2015)
• Code of Conduct for Members of Council (as deferred from Nov. 2, 2015)
• Delegation of Powers and Duties (revised and brought back as per direction from June 1, 2015)

Of special note…..anybody else notice all 3 policies were deferred? One of them has been in deferral limbo for 10 months???? And, this is all supposed to get reviewed and adopted in 40 minutes? Let’s hope the delay was because they were working very hard to get it right!!

Accountability and Transparency (as deferred from Nov. 2, 2015)

I think we can all see why this has been deferred. LOL. Only took 5 months to get it back on the table. There were many promises of transparency thrown about during the election, however, so far, there hasn’t actually been any one who is willing to put it in writing. I guess this policy will  set the rules of the game for  holding town hall to be more accountable and transparent.

 

 

Code of Conduct for Members of Council (as deferred from Nov. 2, 2015)

 

Of special note, the Integrity Commissioner portion of this is thanks to Mayor DiCarlo, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale, Councillors Meloche and Courtney. They were the 4 who voted in favour of hiring an Integrity Commissioner. I think this shows great engagement and a sense of duty from these 4 persons towards our community. Why shouldn’t we have an Integrity Commissioner? I guess I would have to ask Councillors Pouget, Fryer and Lavigne this question, since they did not support this initiative.

 

 

 

 

Delegation of Powers and Duties (revised and brought back as per direction from June 1, 2015)

Well, this one has been in deferral limbo for 10 months now. I wonder if this is a record? I’m guessing it must be massive to have disappeared for so long only to resurface 10 months later. This policy deals with who does what, why and how. (That’s council, administration and staff.)

 

Overall, I think this meeting will be interesting. The 3 policies have all been deferred for some length of time. Will council be able to review and pass these three policies in 40 minutes to then get to the Strategic Plan public session on time? I’ll let you know.

For those who are interested, this policy review meeting will be at 5PM in town hall on Tuesday.

Tuesday at 6PM at the Libro Centre will be the Strategic Plan public sessions. I see the town has asked for an RSVP for this meeting to help with planning (but it is not mandatory to RSVP). According to what I read, you can call Rebecca Belanger at 519-736-5408 ext. 2124 or email her at rbelanger@amherstburg.ca if you want to RSVP and attend the public Strategic Plan session.

I am still undecided if I will be following council from town hall to the Libro Centre for the strategic plan session. Seems kind of stalkerish. I’ve already been pegged a “council watcher” LOL! I do have some pride I have to protect. 😉

 

Monday March 21st Regular Town council meeting

SIGH…..SIGH….If you can’t hear and feel my sigh coming right through your screen, try again. I left tonight’s meeting at 9:15PM. The meeting was STILL going. I just could not take it any more. I sat on possibly one of the world’s most uncomfortable chairs for over 3 hours. I started to fear roots may start to grow out of my bum and I would be there forever. I have officially decided that instead of asking for popcorn, I will request that council provide lazy-boy chairs if meetings are going to last more than 2 hours. OK, fine. There’s no money for that. How about a compromise? I can compromise. Seat cushions, I could live with a seat cushion. OK, first part of rant over. Special note: Council chambers were PACKED. It was standing room only and people were standing out in the lobby during the meeting. Here’s my synopsis, brace yourself :

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Remember that in-camera meeting from October 26 2015 that they wanted to amend tonight? Well, Councillor Fryer recused himself, then hung around the back of the room. I thought if someone declared pecuniary interest and recused themselves they had to leave the room, but maybe not. What do I know? Anyway, it seems the Ombudsman is investigating this meeting (shocker!). Councillor Pouget suggested they move in-camera (ya, again, seriously), after the meeting to listen to the audio tape to see if it should be amended. Council concurred and end of discussion. Looks like the only way we’re going to find out what the amendment is is if the meeting is found to be an illegal in-camera meeting and has to go public. So convenient when one can hide behind closed doors and secrecy.

Delegation – Dorothy Kryworuchko for Sunday Market Wellness Stroll

Sigh, sigh, triple sigh. Can’t anything ever be simple for these councillors? Dorothy (I’m using her first name because I don’t want to keep typing her last name lol) presented a new initiative. Gasp! The horror! She was proposing one Sunday per month for 4 months of yoga or exercise in the Navy Yard park, followed by a farmer’s market with vendors afterwards and shopping around down town. There was much back and forth and many, endless questions, mostly from Councillor Pouget. Councillor Pouget seemed to find every angle possible to throw a wrench in this plan. How will this affect the Toddy Jones Tuesday market? How can people over 18 participate? Who will perform the zumba class? Who will pay for it? How will the vendors get their wares in to the park? Where will they park? (Will they hug a tree on their way through the park?, sorry, couldn’t help myself) Will the town need more staff? The list goes on and on and on and on and on. End result: Councillor Pouget makes a motion to defer. Seconded by Councillor Fryer. Bada bing – bada boom, deferred after probably 30 minutes of endless questions.

Special item – Delegation David Grimaldi – Santa Claus Parade

Mr. Grimaldi wanted the fees for the street closures waived for the Santa Claus parade. Three minutes of discussion, and bada bing – bada boom, fees waived. They must like him. (Must be nice that a for profit company can get their fees waived but volunteer groups have to pay. Only makes sense in the ‘Burg.)

Councillor Fryer then makes a motion to waive the fees for the Santa Claus Parade for the rest of this council’s term. (They must really like him). It goes to recorded vote. (Did I ever mention I get giddy when it’s a recorded vote?)

In favour: Deputy Mayor DiPasquale, Councillor Fryer, Councillor Lavigne, Councillor Meloche, Mayor DiCarlo

Opposed : Councillors Courtney and Pouget

Financial Management RFP

The town has an old, antiquated financial services computer program. It desperately needs upgrading. This proposal integrates some new technology with the old, until, eventually, maybe one day we can move into modern times and completely revamp the system. This was a Deloitte recommendation. Councillor Pouget’s first question was if the report was sent to the audit and finance committee. (I think I heard the whole crowd groan.) Councillor Lavigne stepped in as the voice of reason and asked if they were involved with this from the beginning and even if they needed to be. Of course, both answers were no. (Come on council, YOU were elected to make decisions, not pawn them off on committees.) Councillor Fryer then asks the Treasurer to explain page 59 to the residents to show us how we’re saving money. (I was about ready to scream here. Really? I can read the report if I’m that interested in it. All I wanted was for council to make a decision and move this meeting forward. Boring doesn’t even cover the tone of this entire discussion.) Finally, the darn report gets passed. With less discussion than the Sunday Market received!!

Camping on town property for the Woofa-Roo Pet Festival 

Again, Councillor Pouget had at least a dozen questions. Councillor Fryer threw in a few too. Of course, administration had prepared a comprehensive report and was ready for the craziness. I mean, questions. End result: motion carries. People can camp for a fee with their pets on town property for one weekend.

Water and Wastewater Treatment systems

There is a recommendation for the operation, maintenance and management of our waste water services. Councillor Pouget had a lengthy prepared statement about this. Councillor Fryer asks administration to read page 87 to the residents to show us the savings. (NOOOOOOO!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!! Just make a decision and move on….I start to go comatose.) Finally, motion carries.

Boblo Ferry Dock 

Administration needed direction and approval from council to open a discussion with the Federal Government because the Feds own the old Boblo Dock. This should have been quick and painless and obvious, but no……..Questions, discussion, some people like the sound of their own voices. End result: motion carries.

Break time (The mayor offers a break since the next up issue is Mardi Gras. Thank goodness. I had to find a washroom.)

Special Events Approval

As per the previous ten events, these 5 events were approved with nary a question. Councillors must like them too.

Mardi Gras

Where oh where do I begin? The tone of division and negativity was palpable. This year’s proposal was Mardi Gras Friday night, Super Side walk Sale Saturday during the day, then Mardi Gras Saturday night. Councillor Pouget had really nothing nice to say at all. She talked about liability, rain, damages, extended patios, emergency vehicles, drinking and more “dooms day” type issues. She then started to talk about a bar owner that is unhappy that another bar is being placed near his business. So, to start off the discussion an insulting and rude email was read to the public. The author was Mr Nick Nedin who owns the Beacon Ale House. To sum it up, he is against the Mardi Gras and doesn’t want it to happen. I actually missed writing down most of what he wrote because my jaw was on the floor at the blatant negativity and detachment that his email sewed. Councillor Pouget, again, began with a list of constant questions. Is the bar as close as Mr. Nedin thinks? What about the rain storm? Were some of the 4600 people that attended repeat visitors from Friday night and Saturday night? What about alcohol during the side walk sale? What about the patios? (The list goes on and on and on and on)  Councillor Fryer, not to be outdone, jumps in with a question about how many Chambers of Commerce close streets to make money for themselves? (Thank you Councillor Fryer for being so rude that you then incited people to speak up.) Scott Deslippe who was presenting on behalf of the Chamber pointed out the $5600 were donated back to the community. Even the Town of Amherstburg received a big fat cheque to pay for the hanging basket program! (Which helped us win the 5 blooms award!!!!) Rebecca from the House of Shalom Youth Centre spoke about their volunteers getting 300 volunteer hours, a sense of pride and community and a much appreciated donation for their not for profit organization. Matt from the Artisan Grill spoke about the overwhelming success his business had at last year’s event. When the rain came, they shut down the bar for a while to accommodate people in his business and they sold more food. He had absolutely no problem with the Chamber setting up a bar right in front of this restaurant since his bar can only serve 200 people, not thousands. He felt there’s more than enough business to go around for everyone. Lori from the Legion spoke in favour of Mardi Gras and said it gives a chance for everyone to work together and make some money. She also mentioned closing their bar during the rain storm and serving food instead. Anita from the St. Vincent de Paul Society spoke about how much they enjoyed volunteering and were very happy to receive a donation for their organization. She said every dime was then, in turn, spent in Amherstburg. Finally, when I really thought the “discussion” may never end, Councillor Lavigne spoke up. (Thank you!) He spoke very reasonably. Of note, he did not support the Mardi Gras last year, but wait for it……he said he’s required to represent and speak to everybody in the town of Amherstburg. He talked about working on our attitude going forward to work as a community. He said that council gave the Chamber hoops to jump through in December and the Chamber jumped through the hoops. He said he has to listen to what everybody is telling them. (A reference to the stake holders meeting in December, in support of events, I think). He addressed his concern about the fencing and to make it as easy as possible on Saturday during the day for the side walk sale for accessibility. (My heart started to beat a little faster…..was he going to vote yes for Mardi Gras?…..was I hearing a voice of reason and reasonableness (is that a word?) right now? ) Councillor Pouget then asked the police chief if there would be a RIDE program that night. (So, readers, yes, there will probably be a ride program that night.)  She also mentioned that they were selling sex toys on Saturday in front of children. (Um, I was at Mardi Gras last year during the day Saturday with my children, but I sure didn’t see that???!!!) Mayor DiCarlo started pushing for the vote. This had gone on long enough. Here’s the recorded vote (I knew it would be a recorded one lol)

In favour of Mardi Gras: Councillor Courtney, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale, Councillor Lavigne, Councillor Meloche, Mayor DiCarlo

Against Mardi Gras; Councillor Fryer and Councillor Pouget

After this, I left the meeting. It was 9:15 and my brain was fried. Sorry, I did the best I could. After tonight’s meeting, forget the popcorn. It’s time for a fully stocked bar.

I also need to add that Councillor Courtney, Councillor Meloche and Deputy Mayor DiPasquale did speak at times through the meeting but most often with short, pertinent questions. Councillor Lavigne weighed in with his thoughts too. However, the meeting was dominated by Councillor Pouget and Councillor Fryer with endless questions and commentary. Most often the answers to their questions were right in the report. And then they wonder why people think they don’t read the agenda and prepare themselves….hmmmm

Also, here is the link to the River Town Times article about the Mardi Gras debate. I feel it is well written and truly manages to encompass the whole of this part of the meeting :

http://rivertowntimes.com/mardi-gras-receives-approval-from-town-council/

 

In preparation for Monday March 21st Regular Town Council Meeting

Well, hope everyone enjoyed their week off from Amherstburg town politics. But, it’s time to prepare again, so here we go! I read through the 244 page agenda and there are definitely some points of marked interest. It looks like it will be a heavy meeting. Here’s what I’ll be watching most closely for….

Minutes of previous meetings

Normally, every two weeks council will accept the minutes of previous council and committee meetings. This is usually very routine, quick and boring. Usually, the minutes are for meetings that have happened in the past 2 to 4 weeks, but this one stood out like a sore thumb!!!! :

“Special In-Camera Council Meeting – October 26, 2015 (as amended)”

Why are minutes from a meeting that happened almost six months ago being amended? Aren’t the minutes of a meeting simply a record of what happened? How does one “amend” what happened in a meeting? And why six months later? Of course, the minutes aren’t posted as it was an in-camera, secret meeting, closed to the public.  Also, this was the second in-camera meeting where Councillor Fryer was seeking reimbursement for his legal fees because he threatened a resident with a frivolous lawsuit over some opinions written on Facebook. Councillor Fryer promised us a press conference about this issue months ago but it hasn’t happened. Also, this was the in-camera meeting where members of the public and a reporter were kicked outside the building to wait. When they were allowed to re-enter for the public report-out, “there was nothing further to report”. Every single person elected promised us transparency and accountability, yet this meeting happened in-camera, behind closed doors and now 6 months later is being amended. Do you think I’ll get any answers on this one? Of course not, the in-camera privileged information will be used as an excuse. Unfortunately, I am not one of the people that information gets leaked to. 😉  One thing I know for sure, some on this council passionately denounced  what they felt was an excessive number of in-camera meetings by past councils (yes, Councillor Lavigne I’m pointing at you!!) this council sure seems to have lot of in-camera meetings also. 

Delegations

There is a delegation presenting a new proposed event for the Town of Amherstburg. It’s called the  “Sunday Market Wellness Stroll “. It seems this event will be held one Sunday per month from June through September. The event will include yoga, zumba and meditation in the Navy Yard Park in the morning and then do a little shopping or have a snack from the vendors in the Navy Yard Park for a few hours afterwards. Seems like a great idea. What a great way to show case our beautiful publicly funded park and our down town area. Will council be open to this new, innovative idea? Will Councillor Pouget allow the town’s folk to use their park in this manner?

Accounts payable 

Every two weeks, council reviews the bills to be paid. Legal fees this time totals $6352.31, which is not too bad. Let’s hope it keeps going down. Also, I see Deputy Mayor DiPasquale is seeking reimbursement for his ticket to the Amherstburg Annual Chamber of Commerce Awards banquet. Kudos to you, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale for coming and showing support to the small businesses of our great town.

Financial Management RFP

One of the major findings of the Deloitte Report was that the town of Amherstburg does not have the proper financial management software to adequately manage the finances of the town. It’s old, it’s antiquated and painfully out of date. (Sort of a metaphor there for some of the political thinking in this town.) This is an important business tool that was not kept up to date in the past. The report regarding this software update is lengthy and somewhat out of my spectre of knowledge, (I know that is hard to believe) so here is the way I understand it. The town made the request for proposals for a proper financial management system and the estimates came in. The estimates were higher than expected and more expensive than what the town can currently afford. However, at the same time, this is a somewhat dire situation that needs to be addressed. Therefore, administration is proposing integrating certain new systems in with the old systems and setting up a savings plan so that one day, the town can have adequate financial management software.

Camping on Town Property for Woofa-Roo Pet Festival

This seems to be a really interesting solution to a unique problem. The Woofa-Roo brought approximately 12,000 people to town last year and is anticipating 15,000 this year. This is a significant event in our town but the organizers are having a bit of a problem bringing in more dogs to participate. The organizers of Woof-a-Roo have requested to allow the participants to camp in trailers on the arena property in order to encourage and simplify participating in this event. Seems to me, like a simple idea, but as we know…nothing is simple in Amherstburg. Council will have to approve waiving the by-law that bans camping on town property during the Woof-a-Roo weekend. Allowing this will mean some revenue coming into the town’s coffers, more competitors at the event, and maybe bring more events to our town. The people will have to pay to camp at the arena and use the facilities. It looks like a very comprehensive report with all the T’s crossed and the I’s dotted, so we’ll have to wait and see if council will approve this change. That’s a scary word for some….”change”…..stay tuned.

Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems – Operation, Maintenance and Management Services – RFP Results

There is a proposal to accept a contract for the management of our waste-water treatment system that needs approval. Administration is looking for ways to save money. They went out and got a competitive price on one of the most expensive services the town provides. It’s a complicated system and most don’t understand it, including me LOL. Wonder how long they can carry on a discussion and questions about this very boring subject? I’m sure some of our councillors who fancy themselves as engineers and captains of industry will ask a few questions and move on. Let’s just hope the grandstanding is quick. (Councillor Lavigne, can I count on you, again, to keep some of your compatriots focused and keep them from rewriting the RFP?  Otherwise, this could take a while.)

Former Boblo Ferry Dock

Anyone remember the meeting where certain councillors were complaining that it takes too long to get reports back from town administration? Then, after their complaints, asked for yet another report from administration? Well, here it is….the report on the former Boblo Ferry Dock on Front Road South. Turns out the dock is owned by the Government of Canada through the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Administration is seeking further direction from council to communicate with the Federal Government about the condition of the dock. You see, the problem with the Feds owning this dock is that the town has zero control of what the federal government does or doesn’t do. Seeing that this dock is an eye sore and needs to be torn down, I do not foresee a problem getting further direction for administration. I will go out on a limb and guess this should pass through quite quickly. Oops, did I just jinxed myself??!!

Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce Mardi Gras and Super Sidewalk Sale

Alright ladies and gentlemen, this could be the main event tomorrow night!! Where do I begin about Mardi Gras? Last year’s approval for Mardi Gras 2015 was contentious at best. There was discussion and out and out confrontation. In November, the Mardi Gras organizers came before council to host another event and it was decided to have a stake-holders meetings, on-line surveys, and mail-outs to the residents around the down town to gather information. This public meeting happened in December and the report came back a little while ago. Tomorrow night, once again, the Mardi Gras organizers will be presenting their plan and seeking approval for this significant event. It appears it will be Mardi Gras Friday night, a Super Sidewalk Sale Saturday during the day and then Mardi Gras again Saturday night. Last year’s Mardi Gras raised enough money that they were able to donate money to the House of Shalom Youth Centre, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and to the Town of Amherstburg hanging basket program (which helped us win the 5 blooms award during the Communities in Bloom event.) Total monies donated were $5600.00. The report is lengthy and exhaustive. It appears everyone has done their homework and is prepared. Last year’s Mardi Gras was attended by thousands and brought people from various communities into our great town. Will council approve this event this year? Will there be raised voices? Will councillors storm out? Will the mayor have to pound the gavel? Will councillor Fryer’s computer be hacked again? Will there be a recorded vote? Can’t wait to see.

2016 Special Events Approval

A few weeks ago, ten special events came before council for approval and were rubber-stamped through the process. Here are five events coming before council on Monday night:

• Good Friday Procession of the Cross – March 25th, 2016
• Annual Bob Meloche Kids Father’s Day Fishing Derby – June 19th , 2016
• Ice Cream Festival – July 1st, 2016
• Woofa-Roo Pet Fest – August 13th, 2016 and August 14th, 2016
• Amherstburg Santa Claus Parade – November 26th, 2016;

Will they be rubber stamped through and every one will leave happy? I can see how this is becoming time-consuming having all of these events come and plead their case each year before council. I guess that as long as none of these organizers have upset the power brokers on council in the last year they should be okay.

Well, all-in-all, it’s a pretty packed agenda for Monday night. The nice thing is, there are several events coming before council for approval, which means there will be more than just me and the usual few who attend meetings weekly. Will be nice to see some familiar faces and some new ones too Monday night. Maybe we could go out for a beer afterwards? Hopefully a celebratory beer. That would be nice. Or maybe I’ll have to rush home to blog about the drama that we call a regular Monday night town council meeting.

Council workshop for strategic plan Wednesday March 9th 2016

Well, there isn’t a council meeting tomorrow, I’m assuming because of March Break. I was going to take the week off and forget about town council for a week, but I changed my mind. There is no rest for the wicked 😉 . Council had a workshop on Wednesday March 9th (open to the public), however I was unable to attend since it was during the day time. The River Town Times and the Windsor Star both reported about the meeting, so I will be offering my thoughts, questions, concerns in regards to the media reports. As I said, I was not in attendance, so it is not first-hand information.

The public meeting was held at 1PM on Wednesday March 9th. “Councillors Rick Fryer, Leo Meloche and Diane Pouget, along with Mayor Aldo DiCarlo, CAO John Miceli, police Chief Tim Berthiaume and fire Chief Al Reaume were among those who attended the three-hour session held at the Libro Centre.” (Windsor Star) From this, I would have to assume that Deputy Mayor DiPasquale and Councillors Lavigne and Courtney were not in attendance.

So to bring everyone up to speed, here is where all the players stand on this strategic plan issue stand so far…Councillor Lavigne has previously very publicly supported the strategic plan initiative brought forward by the CAO. Councillor Meloche, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale and Mayor DiCarlo have also shown the foresight to realize the value and importance of having a strategic plan and now here we are in full swing of planning for our future! This initiative was not supported at voting time by Councillors Fryer, Pouget and Courtney. (I know you are all surprised by this split…wink wink)

The town has had an on-line survey that has been available to the public for around a month. According to the articles, so far there have been 242 responses to the survey. I find this somewhat disheartening that out of a town of around 22,000 people, only 242 have replied to this important survey. I will include the link to the survey at the end for those who have not had a chance to fill it out. This is important stuff people! Our future is at stake. This plan will help guide our administration and town council through the next 5 to 10 years to ensure the priorities of the residents are addressed.

The most interesting paragraphs I found in the RTT article : “A hotel, a long-term financial plan, waterfront development, positive messaging, economic development, bicycle and walking trails, jobs and leadership were among the items identified by residents to this point with Millier (a consultant from MDB Insight) adding she was surprised by the amount of people who live in Amherstburg but work in Windsor. Concerns raised by the public thus far have dealt with the town’s economic development department or lack thereof and a “lack of coordination” with the Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce. Concerns also included people stating there is micromanaging being done by council, a lack of infrastructure for businesses and industry and negativity among council.”  Right here is a list of the priorities of the 242 people that have responded so far. How are town council’s decisions lining up with these initiatives?

A hotel: A hotel has been a hot topic for some time in Amherstburg. From what I understand, we don’t have enough population to support a hotel. A hotel needs to be full or almost full 7 days a week. I’m not sure if Amherstburg would be able to keep a hotel even half full during the Monday-Friday stretch. If I had the money, I would buy the Victoria Manor and turn it into a bed and breakfast. That would be a start. I don’t know much about hotels or running hotels, but I can see it being problematic keeping it occupied during the weekdays. (Fortunately, I do not have the money so problem solved for me)

Long-term financial plan: Yup, we sure do need this! Cut, cut, cut is not a long-term financial plan. Spend, spend, spend isn’t a long-term financial plan either. The lack of a long-term financial plan probably explains some of the all-over the place decisions that happen by our town council.

Economic Development:  Another hot topic. We had an Economic Development Officer. Then Councillor Fryer made a notice of motion to get rid of the position. Then, he withdrew the motion. Then, our Economic Development Officer left for greener pastures (who can blame him after the target got painted on his back?). Now, we have no one heading up the economic development portfolio. Perhaps the CAO is overseeing this at the moment along with this regular duties but I’m not sure. I doubt he’d have much time to devote to it as he is constantly preparing reports on a wide variety of issues for certain councillors. The idea of the importance of economic development relates back to the hotel. We need to increase our tax base, our population to do these things…..

Bicycle and walking trails: I know there has been much discussion about this, but we need to plan. When, where, how?

Jobs and leadership: In terms of jobs in Amherstburg, the large majority are offered by small employers. It seems people have mentioned a lack of coordination with the Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce and council. I can attest to that. For two years in a row, Councillors Fryer, Pouget, Courtney and Lavigne have not attended the Annual Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet. Kind of sad, really. These are your town’s small businesses. These are your town’s employers. These are the people generating revenue and taxes within our community, yet they don’t seem to be a priority for certain members of council.

Micromanaging and negativity on council:  These are not my words people, they come directly from the article……(Shocking!!! No!!! Our councillors??? I find this highly dubious… lol. Interestingly, they usually don’t listen to the professionals that present to them, so why would they suddenly listen to 242 people that filled out a survey?) Unfortunately, I can attest to both of these issues. I have witnessed them both time and time again. I would have to assume that if these things were brought up regularly in 242 surveys completed, they are issues. Will council listen? Will they make excuses? Will they say that those 242 people who filled out the survey are wrong?

It will be interesting at the end if our town council will be able to listen to it’s residents or if they will continue to simply make decisions as they (and only they) see fit. Over and over again in the responses, many people talked about the importance and development of our down town district. Councillor Fryer’s reaction? Make Alma Street and Howard Avenue area a priority for development!!!!!!??????? Talk about being right out of left field! There’s a prime example of a councillor not listening to the residents and their thoughts and just simply bringing forth his own initiative. This survey is the voice of the people! I sure hope council can show openness and really truly listen to the ideas and concerns of the people they were elected to represent. Council is not there to serve themselves, but to serve us. Will they be up to the task?

Overall, it looks like council and administration have some work to do. The survey remains open until the end of March. Please, Amherstburg people, if you haven’t already filled it out, time’s a wasting. Chop chop! For the 241 people who did take a few minutes to fill it out, THANK YOU!!!!! (I went down by one number because it would be wrong to thank myself, wouldn’t it?) It is so important to be engaged, to speak up and let our decision-makers know what we want!

Here’s the link for the survey (again, if you haven’t filled it out, go!)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/amherstburgstrategicplan

Here’s the link for the River Town times article about the meeting:

http://rivertowntimes.com/workshop-helps-hammer-out-priorities-for-new-strategic-plan/

Here’s the link for the Windsor Star article about the meeting:

Amherstburg council starts to hammer out strategic plan

 

Monday March 7th Regular Amherstburg Town Council Meeting

Well, not going to lie. This meeting was a real yawner. I will do my best to embellish it for those who had better things to do tonight. Maybe I’ll be able to make a mountain out of a molehill? Maybe I’ll be able to exaggerate small blips into big blunders? Let’s see. Here goes.

Accounts Payable 

Councillor Pouget had a question about the bill for the water main replacement on Riviera Drive. End result: nothing really. Does it really matter when it was approved ? Accounts payable passes with no further questions.

Lay Member Drainage Board – Appointees

As mentioned in my previous blog, this new board will make decisions about drainage. There will be a cost to the taxpayers involved in regards to training and mileage. End result: No discussion and the motion carries.

Information Reports

There was some discussion regarding the Annual Treasurer’s Report. Councillor Fryer thought it was great that the public can see how the councillors are spending our money, how they’re being trained or not trained etc. I have to agree with him on this one. I think it is great that we are able to see this. I also find it extremely concerning there has been very little to no training and conference attendance by the council members. Again, I am also concerned with their lack of requests for funds to attend public events. How in the world, can we, the citizens of Amherstburg, sit back and allow the most important decisions for our town to be made by councillors who do not attend conferences or public events nor receive training? (Again, the Mayor excluded, he attends darn near everything.)

There was some back and forth about Tax Sale Registration and Tax Sales. Boring.

There was some discussion about the WECDSB Accommodation Review (St.Bernard/Stella Maris) regarding possible school closures. Again, Councillor Pouget expressed her feelings about the last-minute report and seemed to blame the dissension in last week’s meeting on this problem.( Personally, I think the dissension goes way deeper than a last-minute report, but hey, what do I know?) Councillor Courtney said that the board’s recommendation promises an addition to Stella Maris for September 2017. She does not think this will happen. She said if it does, she may have to kiss a pig. (Well, it’s on record now, we’ll wait and see if Councillor Courtney has to get in line at the Harrow Fair in 2017 to kiss a pig. LOL) 

Unfinished business

Councillor Fryer followed up about the street light at Willow Beach.  Ms. Giofu (director of engineering) said she’s waiting on a quote for the solar/wind powered light that Councillor Fryer had requested. Councillor Fryer then goes on to explain some type of lamp shade with a whirly bird on top that would keep the light off the grid. (I was waiting for Councillor Lavigne to jump in here and keep things on track, but nope. I got let down. Boo. I had to go into self-preservation mode and visit my happy place for a few minutes.) Then the discussion turned to Texas Road. It seems it’s very bumpy. Councillors Fryer and Pouget went back and forth with the CAO about this for a few minutes. End result: CAO will convene a meeting with the engineers. (The question remains….when? Will it be timely enough to satisfy council’s urgency? What do you do when everything is perceived as urgent?)

Council then went into another in-camera meeting regarding a litigation update. We sure do seem to have a lot of in-camera meetings and they seem to most often have to do with legal fees and lawsuits. I wonder how much this is costing us?

All in all, tonight’s meeting was over in 40 minutes, start to finish. There was no drama, no arguments, no lengthy and pointless discussions. Nobody threw up their hands and left in frustration. There was no signal from outer space that we were teetering on the brink of the vortex of never-ending discussion.In fact, the meeting was dull yet efficient.  Hmmmm……could we be turning a corner?

Oh, on Wednesday March 9th at 1PM, there is a special council meeting, Strategic Plan Council Workshop. It’s being held at the Libro Centre. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend that one, since it’s during the day…..Can’t wait to hear what’s in the report.

 

 

 

 

In preparation for Monday March 7th 2016 regular town council meeting

Time goes by so quickly. Hard to believe another week has gone by and I’m back at it again. Just read through the agenda for Monday’s regular meeting and here are the highlights and commentary. Enjoy.

Accounts payable

Every two weeks, council receives a report of all bills to be paid. This usually goes through with nary a question. The bills range from $3 for office supplies to tens of thousands for legal fees, large infrastructure projects etc. I try to look through and see what strikes me. I always check to see how much we’re paying in legal fees. This week we only paid out about $3800 in legal fees. I also see that the town paid out $31,500 in grants to several organizations in town. (Amherstburg Historic Sites Association, Amherstburg Freedom Museum, A’burg Community Services, A’burg Food & Fellowship Mission, Cat Assistance Team and The House of Shalom.)

Lay Member Drainage Board

In October, council gave direction to administration to create a Lay Member Drainage Board. Why? Aren’t drainage issues to be decided by our elected town council members? I attended a few drainage meetings. I had assumed going in that they would be boring, but heck, no! Drainage meetings proved to be interesting, with lots of public engagement, sometimes tempers flared and heated discussions ensued. So, is this why council just doesn’t want to deal with drainage? Are they unable to deal with irate residents? Easier to deflect a responsibility off to another volunteer committee? Of course, there is a cost involved. The members of this new drainage board will need training (and probably mileage reimbursement). The report states $678 + mileage for training these five people. There were 5 people needed and exactly 5 people applied to be part of this board. Don’t we already have 5 councillors who are paid to represent us? Don’t we already have 5 councillors who have an amount budgeted for training? This current council seems to like creating committees and boards to task them with handling issues. But I digress, the board members are being named and will probably be appointed tomorrow night and this will all just be another done deal right under our noses.

Annual treasurer’s report

This report breaks down what our council members earned in 2015. The report includes the entire council: Mayor, Deputy Mayor and the 5 councillors, it also includes all committee members.

Mayor DiCarlo was paid a total of $40,640.96 last year. Included in this amount is his salary as mayor of Amherstburg, his salary as Amherstburg’s representative on county council and as a member of the Essex Power board. There was $285 paid on his behalf for the cost of tickets to attend public receptions. I feel, that the mayor (and all of our elected officials for that matter) should try to attend as many public functions as possible. I was surprised the amount was as low as only $285 because I seem to see the Mayor at every public event! Of course, we are only talking about events that require a paid ticket so with that in mind I guess $285 is a pretty healthy sum. The mayor did not claim any expenses for training and conferences. Considering how this council in the last two budgets slashed training and conferences, this does not surprise me…but it does concern me.

Deputy Mayor, Bart DiPasquale was paid a total of $28,610.68. Again, this includes his salary as deputy mayor of Amherstburg as well as his salary as Amherstburg’s representative on county council and on the library board. Only $50 was paid out on his behalf for public receptions. Like the mayor, he also did not claim or receive any monies for training and conferences. I’m starting to notice a concerning trend here.

Councillor Jason Lavigne earned $18,072.09 as councillor and as, I believe, a member of the Police board. On his behalf a big zero dollars on public receptions. There was $870 paid out on his behalf in reimbursement for training and conferences. Not sure what that was for.

Councillor Joan Courtney earned $16,799.03 as a councillor. There was not a single dime paid out towards public receptions or training and conferences reimbursement.

Councillor Diane Pouget earned $17,032.29 as a councillor. Once again, zero was paid out for public receptions and another zero for training and conferences.

Councillor Leo Meloche earned $17,759.28. There was nothing paid for public receptions, however, like Councillor Lavigne, he received $870 for training and conferences.

Councillor Rick Fryer earned $17,213.79. Again, cost of public receptions, zero. He was paid $157.60 for training and conferences. Again, not sure for what and why.

Overall, here are my thoughts on all of the above…

The fact that there have been no payments for our town councillors to attend public events leads me to believe that they are either not attending events, or are paying for tickets to attend and then not seeking reimbursement. It is possible, they are paying out of pocket for tickets and not seeking reimbursement, but I highly doubt that. To me, this means, they are choosing not to go out and engaging their citizens by attending organized events or receptions. How many dinners and fundraisers have there been for local groups and organizations? How many annual general meetings for local not for profit groups were organized and yet we had not one member of our town council present to listen and to participate? (I am excluding the mayor outright from these thoughts since he has attended almost all public events since the election and incurred $285 in costs toward tickets to attend public events.) While I would not expect our elected officials to attend every single public function, attending absolutely none is entirely unacceptable to me. How can you get a pulse on the community and the people you represent if you are sitting at home and only talking to and hearing from the same small group of people? Some on council insist there is not a silent majority that exists. How could they possibly know?

As for the training and conferences, wow, another big concern. We all know this was cut, cut, cut in the last budget, however the councillors still had some funds available. Some may say they were “saving us money”. I see it as a missed opportunity. Again, how many conferences took place that Amherstburg was not represented? Sad. How could any councillor feel that they are already so well-trained and knowledgeable that they could just sit back all year and coast in an ever-changing work environment? How many opportunities were lost due to this? Only two councillors were paid any significant amount in this area and yet I think it was far from the allowable limit. How can Amherstburg move forward if our councillors feel it’s okay to sit stagnant?

Overall, the agenda isn’t too packed full. It’s only 123 pages long. Dare I hope that this week’s meeting won’t last too long? Can I once again, count on Councillor Lavigne to keep his colleagues focused and on point and get this meeting wrapped up in short order? Dare I dream?

 

 

Monday February 29th Special town council meeting

Well, tonight’s meeting was special, very special in more ways than one.

First, I arrived late. I am never late. Ever. For anything. The in-camera meeting was scheduled for 5:30, so I thought arriving around 5:50 would get me to town hall while they were still hammering it out in closed chambers. But no, they were in public session and had resumed with the PARC process portion of the meeting. I kind of walked in partway through, so I apologize and will do my best to relay what transpired.

I walked in to an agitated Councillor Lavigne addressing the CAO. I quickly started making inferences and connecting the dots and managed to figure out that it seems the CAO has prepared a report that outlines why it is more strategically feasible to keep St. Bernard’s school open and close Stella Maris school (if a school closure is a necessity). There was much back and forth. Councillor Lavigne was agitated, Councillor Pouget kept going back to the issue of receiving timely information and if they had only had the information sooner. Mayor DiCarlo pointed out that the school board has already pitted one school against the other (and not Mr. Miceli) and that administration has had a very full plate lately, negotiations etc. He also points out the reality that Amherrstburg is not in a position to fund either school, so we need to deal with reality. (Reality? Does that exist in council chambers?) At this point, Councillor Lavigne declares a conflict of interest since he has 3 children that attend Stella Maris. Councillor Fryer seemed to suddenly realize he has kids there too, so he also declares a conflict of interest. The two leave the room.(I will give them credit that they realized even if a bit late that they had a conflict of interest in this situation. However, if this had been previous council and they only realized in the 11th hour they had a conflict of interest, some would have been screaming injustice and violations from the mountain tops.) More back and forth between the CAO, Councillor Pouget and some from Councillor Meloche.

Big picture is….the CAO’s business plan consists of this :

• short time since St Theresa closed which will disrupt students and families who transferred from St Theresa to St Bernard
• traffic and parking complaints at Stella Maris, none at St Bernard
• problematic site expansion at Stella Maris, smaller gym, smaller parking, smaller lot etc.
• St Bernard has more parking and Richmond Street is a priority when it comes to snow removal etc. since it is considered among the priority streets in town
• the south side of town has more possibility for growth (in terms of infrastructure too), there is a subdivision with 800 homes that has been approved on the south side and another subdivision in the preliminary stages which would bring 600 homes to the south side of town
• environmental concerns for Stella Maris (mosquito program in Fraserville area)
• St. Bernard building and land are larger than Stella Maris
• both schools are relatively the same age
• St. Bernard’s gym is bigger
• neither location has a bus bay
• community use: St. Bernard 490.5 hours versus 154 hours at Stella Maris
• gym use by the community : 590 hours St. Bernard versus 14.5 hours Stella Maris
• more kids walk to St. Bernard’s than to Stella Maris (increased bussing fees)
• the CAO was clear that no school closure at all is the preference, however, should one have to be closed, he had data and a business case to present the overall best interests of the town

Some councillors kept referring to the time and looking at the clock. At first, I did not understand this, since some seem to think they have all the time in the world to discuss every minute detail of every single possibility and any random scenario that may or may not be realistic. Then I realized, there was a PARC meeting tonight at 7PM where the CAO was supposed to present his report. Council received the report, then Councillor Meloche made a motion that the CAO present the report at tonight’s meeting. The motion passed.

They quickly went to find Councillors Lavigne and Fryer to return to the meeting. They were gone looking for them for quite a while. I wonder if they got locked outside? Nah…..who would do something like that?

IBEW Local 636 Collective Agreement Ratification

The contract between the town and it’s unionized work force was presented to be ratified and funded. There was some discussion and it started to appear that it may become a lengthy issue. Councillor Fryer kept asking about the split shifts to accommodate special events. He wondered if snow and wind would be special events. (Maybe if we lived in Hawaii it would be I guess, here that is just a weather event, it’s Canada.) The CAO explained that a special event is a town-declared and scheduled special event, like a festival or parade. More discussion ensued about areas of town and lack of snow removal, texts at 5AM, quite frankly, I started to zone out. Finally, Mayor DiCarlo points out that council is not there to renegotiate the contract. (Oh, yes! Thank you!!) And just like that, the motion carries and they accept the contract.

Council then adjourned this meeting. The CAO left as well as Councillor Courtney. Just as the next meeting (policy) was about to begin, Councillor Fryer packed up and left too. I seriously started to question my sanity. If they’re all leaving and they get paid to be here, why the heck am I still here? Just kidding. Well, sort of.

Policy meeting

This meeting is to review and approve 10 policies all having to do with finance.

The Mayor explains to the public (that’s me and 3 other people) that the CAO and two councillors have left to go to the PARC meeting. Councillor Lavigne says that rather than go over each policy individually, in order to speed up the process, he would move them all to be approved and if there are any questions they could be addressed. ( At this point think I may be developing feelings for Councillor Lavigne… lol, but seriously, please, yes, get this show on the road). Councillor Pouget has a few questions. Councillor Meloche and the Treasurer get into a long and boring back and forth about cheques and bills etc. I am starting to loose hope that this will be quick and painless. All of a sudden, the motion is read and it carries. The whole policy review took 10 minutes!!! This has to be a record!

Side note, still no Code of Conduct policy in place almost one year after initial review. But hey, we have the financial policies in place in 10 minutes.

Must offer a big high 5 tonight to the Mayor (since I may still be sitting there listening to them dissect and renegotiate the contract) and also to Councillor Lavigne who did not let me down and got the policy meeting over and done with in 10 minutes. At this rate, we may not need popcorn on Monday night’s after all.