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Ward consultant was saddled by council

June 19, 2009 20:06

I have, as a few other interested residents have, followed New Tecumseth revised ward boundary process quite thoroughly with the exception of the initial series of public meetings, which were both poorly advertised and subsequently poorly attended.

The complete apathy toward the matter by the residents of the various communities within the town was obvious from the get go. That speaks volumes.

There is no perfect way of defining the boundaries for any elections, and at best we can hope that an honest and open effort has been put in place that will result in giving the electorate fair and equal representation. This I believe has been the process that has been underway here in New Tecumseth in anticipation of the upcoming 2010 municipal elections. The 20th anniversary of New Tecumseth coming of age.

The lack of interest in the subject has left it open to the feeling of "if it isn't broke don't fix it," as was quite evident at the public meeting May 13 when the consultants report was presented and discussed.

It was very evident from the outset of that meeting that without the input of the few members of the public who did stand up to speak on the matter those councillors present would have been glad to stay with the status quo.

However, the outcome of that meeting resulted in the consultant being given direction that the present Ward 1 had to be divided into two or three wards each offering a seat at council.

If nothing else the optics of such a decision will do nothing to diminish the level of distrust that is frequently visible around meetings of the Committee of the Whole and the composition of group deputations before council.

This decision will be sure to bring peace and harmony to the factions engaged in the north versus south ongoing childlike petty squabbles where the issues amount to being what one has, the other two have to have.

The final episode of the three-act drama played itself out this past Monday evening when some cosmetics of the proposed new ward boundaries had to be "done and dusted."

It was classic to watch and listen to both Tottenham councillors defend the status quo with regards to their own ward where each voter is required to return two councillors.

Alas, while a consultant was searched for and appointed, this gentleman and his input to the debate were frequently and clearly dictated by the winds of change at council's bench. If nothing else, he gladly accepted the appointment along with council and staff's four guiding principals.

The significance of this was that there could be no other outcome than to closely shadow the "status quo" faced with the same challenges the original transition committee at the time of amalgamation faced on the same subject 18 years earlier; how to retain the status quo.

In closing the book on this episode of the history of our town, if the now hypothetical question were to be asked of the consultant, had he not adhered to the sitting council and staff's four governing principles but worked off a blank canvas, would we have received a dynamic, more imaginative, and clearly democratic workable model?

Gord McInnes,
New Tecumseth

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