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Opinion:Qualifying Trials

Could you qualify for the 5 minute presentation without making a monkey of yourself?
20160924 monkey bill walton

Five minutes is a lifetime if you are yelling for help and no one hears you.  It can seem like a lifetime if somebody is repeating the same old, oft-told story about something that does not interest you. Five minutes can seem like an eternity when listening to someone who stumbles around their words, cannot put a sentence together and never gets to the point of their argument or presentation. And when the TV camera is panning you, it is really hard to appear to be paying attention for all of five minutes. Ten minutes is an eternity.

Public presentations have always been a tender spot with council. Efforts have been made in the past to regulate the number of presenters on the same topic, the length of presentations and the protocol of councilors responding to a presentation by council. The current move by council (and I do believe the deputy when he says he has the backing for his motion because these things are always settled before they come out of their in-camera / training sessions) could be a turning point for this council.

Council always wants to hear other opinions. Okay, most councilors do. Some councilors. One or two. Well, depending on the topic, perhaps none. Certainly not in front of the media. Unless there is a photo opportunity.

Despite the cries about limiting the freedom of speech, council is trying to do no such thing. They just don’t want you doing it in council chambers during their public meetings.

And the truth is, I think maybe it is time to stop the public presentations.

Back in the good old days the so-called Fourth Estate often held council to account. Newspaper reporters and TV journalists attended political and public meetings and offered their analysis of events. Very often they raised questions about the propriety of decisions or looked into questionable financial deals and contracts. Alas, these resources are no longer available in our town due to budget cuts and lower readership/ viewers supported by dwindling advertising revenues.

Now it is up to the Fifth Estate (a socio-cultural reference to groupings of outlier viewpoints in contemporary society, and is most associated with bloggers, journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and the social media) to take over. The power of social media is being felt all around the modern world. It can be a force to be reckoned with when used in a constructive way. Unfortunately is can also be a problem when misused, but let us focus on the positive power of social media.

What if the NBTA, for instance, made their presentation to the public, not to council in chambers? Are they really trying to reach the current council or to raise awareness in the populace about how our city is being budgeted, taxed and operated? What if they posted their ideas on the web, open to everyone, including council and staff, to read? What if the people who struggled to inform council about their misguided water meter plan had posted their study on Facebook or YouTube? What if all the people who were so informed talked to or sent emails to the council?

The chances are that these messages would be ‘liked’ and shared or commented on by a wider audience than sits in Chambers or watches on TV. And for the people who want to exercise their freedom of speech, they can do so in a manner that even the Deputy mayor could accept. Maybe the local TV station would even broadcast it. Trust me, councilors and senior staff at City Hall (or their minions) will be reading and listening. Okay, most councilors will. Some councilors. One or two. Well, depending on the topic, perhaps none, but you get the idea.

So let them shut down the public presentations, although the idea does seem to run counter to the Baylor report and the hiring of a communications person. There are other ways to share information.

Why heck, if somebody could Twitter the total, real cost of the Memorial Gardens renovations – it would go viral!





Bill Walton

About the Author: Bill Walton

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