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Opinion: Conduct

Stop! Is that in the Code of Conduct?
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It is no surprise that City council is working on a Code of Conduct. It is not only the leakage from those ‘in-camera’ meetings that is worrisome but just the thought of having the Mayor leave his seat to manhandle someone as the Prime Minister recently did is something best not contemplated. Indeed there may have been occasions when even a council member may have felt like using physical persuasion on a Taxpayer Association speaker but the new code will certainly forbid that. Of course, there will always be exceptions to the rules.

Indeed our councillors, being the good ambassadors for the city that they are, would never even think of acting like our recently appointed ambassador to Ireland. That is not to say they lack the courage and audacity of Mr Vickers, but as far as I know none have his background in enforcing law, order and good conduct upon the citizens of the world let alone Canada and Ireland. Mind you, frog-marching that fellow off the ceremony grounds was better than shocking him with a Taser or whacking him with a Billy stick as some security forces are wont to do.

What is surprising is that the proposed Code of Conduct would have some consequences for misbehaving. Aside from a scolding by the media for misdeeds, the only ‘punishment’ formerly meted out for misconduct was a reckoning at the next election. Indeed, a few of our previous politicians have faced this wet-noodle lashing by the voters but a more immediate misconduct penalty would be most appropriate. A pecuniary reprimand along with missing a few meetings would garner the support of many taxpayers. A similar move by the NHL might be a thought. Say a penalty of a thousand dollars a minute for the players and the team. That might stop the boarding and sticks to the head. But I digress.

Part of the reason for the proposed Code is what happens in those in-camera meetings. Council goes in-camera when they are discussing legal, property and personnel matters. One can understand why these matters should be restricted from public ears and eyes. Consider, for instance, all the speculation of where the new casino will be: property values would spike (or decrease) if word leaked about that location, not that anyone doubts it might go to the south end of the city. People would be placing bets – okay, let’s call them ‘pools’ until we are officially a gambling city  - on where all the action is going and some loose words by a councillor or city staffer might garner profits for someone.

However, we should not be too quick to point fingers at leaks from the in-camera sessions. Consider how carefully our elected officials have kept secret the final costs for the Memorial Gardens fiasco. They can keep secrets. With a Code of Conduct, city staff might be more willing to share figures with council on a timely basis – like maybe how much snow removal cost for the last season. Or what the new grade of asphalt costs per tonne – something they might have shared before council boasted about all the streets that were going to be resurfaced this year.

That’s the thing with those in-camera meetings: they discuss other matters and it may be confusing to the councillors just what it is that they cannot repeat out of school. Conversations stray to other topics and before you know it what was supposedly secret is common knowledge on the streets, at Chamber meetings and breakfast clubs. Then again, some members of the public are simply good guessers. The Demarco’s straw polls are gone but things are said at Tim’s that reek of inside information.  A person can start talking about the weather and end up discussing the pros and cons of assisted suicide before you know it. It happened to me the other day on the golf course.

One hopes that the new Code will contain direction of things like expense accounts. Not that council should be paying for free lunches and dinners, but it would be unfortunate for an expense claim for travel or living expenses incurred in another jurisdiction such as Walin and Duffy were confused over. Per diems while at conferences will no doubt be another item on the checklist of do and do-nots.

We do not have an ombudsman person yet so just who is going to police the Code of Conduct will be interesting. I can envision a volunteer hand going up at the Taxpayer Association’s next meeting. Perhaps a student from Baylor might take on the job since they are used to issuing report cards that have a ‘conduct’ element in them. I can see the marks now: Communications: (N) – needs improvement.

The new Code of Conduct will make interesting reading. If we ever get to see it.





Bill Walton

About the Author: Bill Walton

Retired from City of North Bay in 2000. Writer, poet, columnist
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