Skip to content

Motion "Maroosis-ed"

Veteran Councillor makes a stand

"I'm not going to 'Maroosis' this resolution."

With that, Coun. Mac Bain easily delivered the line of the night at City Council Monday. Bain, speaking about making amendments to an unrelated motion, was referring to Coun. George Maroosis' earlier change of heart when it came to finally laying the summer schedule controversy to rest.

For a timeline of events see related stories:

July 13 CogecoTV moves to suspend Council coverage
July 22 Council in damage control over CogecoTV coverage
July 25 Council backing down on meeting times
July 26 It's a cruel summer for Council-watchers

Just when the ordeal seemed ready to be put to rest, Coun. Jeff Serran's motion (seconded by Coun. Derek Shogren) lost its momentum due to some unclear wording and veteran Coun. Maroosis' epiphany that the meetings should be flipped. Maroosis moved for the motion to be sent back to the General Government Committee.

Maroosis hoped that the move would allow members the proper time to get the summer schedule right once and for all, and to have everything in place for summer 2017.

Serran took the floor at Council with a compromise to end the summer schedule debate seemingly a done deal. The revised motion would have seen Committee Meetings start at 6:30 pm with Regular Meetings of Council beginning "immediately thereafter or at 7:30, whichever comes first."

The time slots are the issue for Maroosis. While the timing mended some fences with CogecoTV, he felt that those wishing to make public presentations were still not being properly served.

"Who would have thought that this would bring up so much discussion?" asked Serran. 

As Serran said this, Maroosis placed his hand over his chin, clearly in deep thought. Maroosis leaned forward to speak, "It's such a tempest in a teapot we've gotten ourselves into. This motion is exactly the reason why you need to think things out carefully."

Maroosis continued, saying that the general public would be displeased with the start time. He said the public sentiment would be "You expect me to come here at 6:30, wait around for half an hour before presenting? You've got it backwards."

Maroosis suggested that the Regular Meeting of Council be moved to 6:30, with the Committee Meeting to follow. This would set a time for the public to attend, watch or present.

"This is the second time that we've messed this thing up," declared Maroosis. "I'm sorry that I voted for it the first time. The sanest thing to do...is to refer this to the General Government Committee."

Maroosis then made a motion to amend and refer to committee. Coun. Vrebosch seconded.

Councillors Serran, King, Anthony and Shogren opposed, with Coun. Shogren adding that he was dissenting because "what Coun. Maroosis said made no sense."

Mayor Al McDonald, who voted in favour of Maroosis' amendment, closed the meeting with a message to viewers watching on CogecoTV or on the live stream that the August 22 regular meeting would commence at 7 pm.

So, the summer schedule debate continues, maybe into fall. If you thought changing the meeting times was tough, wait until a rumoured change of days for meetings comes forward.
 


Stu Campaigne

About the Author: Stu Campaigne

Stu Campaigne is a full-time news reporter for BayToday.ca, focusing on local politics and sharing our community's compelling human interest stories.
Read more

Reader Feedback