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The Committee of the Whole (COW), July 23, 2012, was totally about applications to the City for tax-exemptions - 29 in total. Applicants ranged from most arguably being questionable to far less than half being truly deserving. The former from golf/curling/rod-and-gun clubs to 14 religious organizations - all Christian - like a school, prayer-groups but mostly churches. The latter - two of them religious - addressing direct need in the community.
Interesting!
A great deal of money - for this town anyway - and with donations to many/most of them probably tax-deductible as well - the segment of the public not linked to these possibly tax-exempted groups may be losing-out multi-level big-time in somebody else's process.
More interesting!
Group 1 - The Public
Hmmm.... makes you think! Correction: makes me think! You weren't there! The Oso-crowd: local so-called progressives, because of wherever your soy-latte with sprinkles of usually out-of-town flavor-of-the-month causes may direct your attention. You are not into matters civic here. Not cool!
Neither are you, the stolid mainstream: the time of City Hall meetings is just not nice - 7pm! With you cool is not the issue - couch is!
Group 2 - The News-Media
There also was no media-representation at this tax exempt COW - even though major questions could have been raised, particularly with agendas always available (for research prior) well before meetings.
Local media could nudge all of you to become informed, with accurate reports from/of Regular Council Meetings (RCM) and meetings of the COW - but only some do: and those only from sporadically to often. Not consistently. Personal preference seemingly runs their PCs, as does frequently inaccurate or spotty recollection.
The ideal source of how-stuff-actually-is-at-City-Hall would seem to be the one local news-medium most closely associated with progressive/cool thinking - I will use "progressive(s)" throughout as a label rather than identificaton of an ideology - and that is Kootenay Co-op Radio (KCR). Yet they're never there! In Council Chambers. While running a 90-minutes morning-show with local news and interviews.
The co-op nature of the station presents an opportunity for all kinds of thought-poking - as in progressive - programming, but the progressives don't sign-up! Yet KCR's few imported as-it-is news-shows are highly respected - by local progressives! Makes me - not you! - wonder!
One common bond among progresssives is a disdain for the Nelson Star, although the Star not only broadly presents but - more important - represents Nelsonness! As with HUGS 'N' SLUGS, which makes me want to do damage in a serious manner! But it too is Nelson - I read it!
The mainstream reads the Star for entertainment, shopping-specials and obituaries; their radio-station is CBC Kelowna.
There are few - and by the nature of this approach dead-end - Council-concerned letters to the Star editor.
Group 3 - Council
Speaking of entertainment: obviously, a big part of the reason why only very few unfettered members of the public show direct interest in City-matters - by attending RCMs and COWs - is that the way these are dealt with in Council is not particularly entertaining. With few exceptions, items are run not as a whole, a vision - but as individual procedural steps.
Dullish!
With a largely apathetic public at one end, a Council just trying to get through surely mind-numbing minutiae at the other and news-hounds somewhere in between or not at all: the City doesn't function all that well as a unit, which it should be able to for a town of its size. Of course - big one in all and everything - Nelson also suffers from: politics being personal, business being personal, and the personal being cliquish.
Avoid being direct - just in case!
Pouting is big!
I will present an example of the tenuous interconnectedness - if not the disconnect - of the three players: public, news-media and Council.
Picture this!
In Council must focus on local (...what? A very clumsy heading!), Nelson Star, July 18, 2012, a reader complains that A discussion of the Enbridge Pipeline by Nelson city council is not a local issue. And The Enbridge Pipeline discussion does not belong at the Council table. He then writes about how council's time might be better spent on various local issues he lists.
He makes a valid point with the pipeline-topic, particularly in view of the fact that in COW-rules a delegation from the public only deals with a matter within the jurisdiction of the City of Nelson.
It is understandable - even if inappropriate - that Council took on the very emotional Enbridge issue - precisely because it is so emotional. It touched a proverbial nerve in Council members - their humanness - usually not an issue within their dealings: what with 1-2-3 procedure in a dead-zone environment being the norm. Something for them to relate to.
The Stop-The-Violence presentation erupting into very emotional personal positions is another example. Most members acted/reacted as individuals who actually bleed - this rarely seen in Council. And quite possibly often repressed to make it all happen. Which it clearly doesn't well enough: in their work, Council members obviously are starved for a bit of emotional color, an outlet for imagination, some creativity. Or plain-and-simple kicking ass!
All this noise made news-media and public wake-up real quick: for once we had the triple-slug-fest we should have as a matter of course!
But the usual is a Council on automatic > news-media sort-of there if > another latte for progressives > the mainstream waiting for lunch - separately!
Group 1a
Taking responsibility to make all work together - for the whole - has to start with the public - mainstream, progressives, whomever - as they are what a town is all about.
The progressives acknowledging that civic matters indeed are as cool as can get: the right to create, run/maintain their environment. And the mainstream relating to people as a reality instead of a reality-show.
You've got kids: do it for them!
If you're not interested in the Nelson Star - you're not interested in Nelson as such - your home! Let it know directly why you're not interested! Concerns about anything else should go straight to whomever prompting them! Effective communication!
Let's face it!
Attend RCMs and COWs. In RCMs you can get info on what Council is working on and how it goes about it; you can actively, directly participate in COWs - either as an individual or as part of a group of like-minded. So, any problems with a local situation - or Council as a group handling a local situation - as perceived in an RCM: you can present to Council directly in a COW, in front of peers in the "audience". The more speak-up - the better, as Council can't afford to ignore numbers! You voted for them and just may again but! So tell them face-to-face what you need!
Council - at least indirectly - will thrive on your input: you supply first-hand feed-back, you make them relate to people instead of just rules and clauses - interaction. They will have to be on their toes: an energizing activity, feeding into their regular-folksness.
Writing to them as a group is addressed to Barb Dionne at bdionne@nelson.ca. Writing to individual members is best done following that pattern also: first-name initial preceding surname@nelson.ca. The mayor is reached at mayor@nelson.ca. Using these proper e-mail addresses seems more efficient than the website-provided door: you have more space/oversight while writing and a record of the message sent.
Always keep a record!
Group 2a
In terms of City Hall: news-media - through actually attending reporters, all and consistently! - ought to focus on the public's need more comprehensively, more accurately - instead of recollecting what they can and how they remember it. Or didn't write-down. They also need to encourage the public to attend these meetings and express opinions. Dialogues of varying opinions. Provide info on Council procedures: particularly what RCMs and COWs are (many out there don't have a clue!) and when.
The more the general public becomes involved - the more the media's (and Council's) energy will be affected, and their jobs will become more focused, more interesting in the doing - thus output.
I'm beginning to sound like an evangelist! Geez!
Group 3a
Council ostensibly wants input - the COW's actual purpose - but in reality doesn't encourage it. This too is understandable (though not excusable!): they're busy with processing papers, and having to deal with the real thing would take away time and energy of which they seemingly don't have enough.
Like: the fixed period of time allotted to on-the-spot concerns by COW attendees - those not on the agenda with a formalized presentation - is quite short. And although many individuals should have the opportunity to express themselves to give Council a hit of out-there reality: the more want to speak - the less time there is for them individually. Sort-of the faster I go - the behinder I get. This needs to be addressed! Now!
The what, how and when of RCMs and COWs must be listed and explained in bold print in every monthly City-of-Nelson news-letter: Nelson Star back-page and City Hall website.
Council's job is to deal with public concerns: the more direct contact with the public - the more personally meaningful their work may become. And enjoyable!
The aforementioned dead-zone environment: The whole 2nd floor of City Hall - including the Council Chamber - is a punishing experience. No wonder nobody ever laughs there; hushed, earnest only staff blends into the wall-to-wall. What with all this art-walking in Nelson - how about walking it through City Hall?
Where's the color: bright, sunny, uplifting, life-affirming color?
All together now!
There's a natural - actually symbiotic - relationship between public, news-media and Council. Once accepted by them - with all channels opened - we'll be on our way!
In triplicate!
Next Regular Council Meeting: Mon. Aug. 13, 7pm
No Aug. Committee of the Whole
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I heard (from a reliable source) that councilors used to do the job for free in Nelson. That was when Nelson was about the same population size, too. I heard that meetings used to be much more brief and to the point. People did the job because they really wanted to.
ReplyDeleteIf people are just doing the job because they get a half salary then maybe it was better before?