Here are some comments I would like to share about Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Firstly, city staff should be complimented for the great job they did in giving a “financial birds-eye view” of the downtown sports and entertainment centre project. This is especially true of our city’s financial services director, Desiree Kennedy. Presentations by staff were thorough and comprehensible.

Secondly, I wish to comment on the behaviour of two councillors in particular.

It is accepted that on all issues that come before council (especially major projects), there will be, and should be, debate, questions and differences of opinion. That is precisely why we have an elected council. However, we must be able to differentiate the behaviour of elected community leaders from that of a group of elementary school children arguing in a park.

If councillors don’t understand the meaning of the words “courtesy,” “dignity” and “respect” when it comes to treating the city’s administrative staff and fellow councillors, they should either study the procedural bylaw or attend a St. Lawrence College program on how to develop relationships with others.

The best example I can offer is Councillor Steve Garrison’s rudeness, arrogance and plain bad manners during his “stage performance” at this council meeting. It’s one thing to have open debate and discussion and to ask sometimes tough questions in arriving at an informed opinion, but being obnoxious and discourteous is too much. It is not acceptable for a so-called community leader to make innuendos or accusations about staff members and fellow councillors’ actions and motives. This is especially so when it’s done in a public forum and when no substantiating information is provided – and thus no defence by “the accused” is possible. If a councillor has a bone to pick with a staff member or fellow councillor, then he or she should have the courtesy to do it behind closed doors as opposed to embarrassing everyone concerned in front of the television cameras and the news media.

Thirdly, although he is a newcomer to council and needs time to learn, might I suggest to Councillor Mark Gerretsen that his courtroom-like and accusatory style of questioning city staff during this meeting was aggressive and unbecoming? Once again, he should do this in private and treat people with dignity in public.

Carl Holmberg
Kingston
Carl Holmberg is a former municipal politician in the old Pittsburgh

It’s not the type of thing that makes the news, but to my mind the big story out of Tuesday’s city council meeting was the wow-invoking display of raw competence by city staff. Project director Lanie Hurdle and city financial services director Desiree Kennedy not only had their project data down cold, but they delivered it with a casual, engaging professionalism on par with the best presenters I’ve seen anywhere.

Only slightly off to the side was Commissioner of Sustainability and Growth Cynthia Beach, who made it clear that she is bringing the required resources to the task at hand.

It takes time to build a good team, and it takes time to build competence into that team. We can keep looking back for reasons why the talent wasn’t in the game earlier, or we can look forward to the possibilities that come with our growing capacity to effectively manage such projects. Tuesday’s meeting demonstrated that we’re most certainly learning in the doing.

Hats off to chief administrative officer Glenn Laubenstein for his obviously effective team management. And hats off to those members of council who were willing to acknowledge great work when they saw it.

D.J. Morris
Kingston