EDITORIAL – ‘Community conversations’ a chance for council to redeem itself

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

KAMLOOPS RESIDENTS will have an opportunity to talk to City council through the coming winter and into next spring as a series of public meetings gets underway.

From October 25 to May 22, the meetings will be held in various neighbourhoods followed by a virtual version. Details were officially announced yesterday after months of wrangling, committee changes and turmoil within council.

The so-called “community conversations” have already come under criticism since some of the basics of the format were released a few weeks ago. Certainly, there are shortcomings, among them the fact they’re too many and too ambitious, dragging on for months when they’re supposed to be helping councillors formulate a strategic plan that’s already been adopted and which is, according to them, a “bold” one.

Indeed, I worry that the politicians and bureaucrats will spend too much time talking and not enough listening.

And there will be complaints they aren’t true town halls because of the way they’ll be segmented into table discussions. In fact, though, dividing the hall into “stations” to discuss various topics can be an effective way to provide more people with a chance for input and to summarize it all.

That only works if there’s also an opportunity for the assembly as a whole to come together at some point for a question and answer. That’s where the true town hall part comes in, and to their credit councillors have included that.

This drawn-out exercise could be council’s attempt to redeem itself for establishing a truly dismal record on public engagement and transparency — during its first year, it’s given the impression as a group that it’s unwilling to listen to criticism.

So, better now to take council’s words at face value when it says it wants to provide a way for residents to express concerns and frustrations “free from intimidation.”
There’s more to lose by staying away than there is by showing up and being heard.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.