“A government operates and acts differently than a company. So all we want to do is get some transparency here and then determine if the deal should go forward.” (Mark Foley) Tuesday, October 1, 2013. Only 20 days left before election. Here is my last point of the election platform which states that as your new mayor I will, “ Continue to insist on having Multiplex and joint Councils meetings open to the public and create an opportunity for much greater public input on major issues such as the library, swimming pool, theatre, etc.” Not only will I insist on having these meetings open to the public, I will make a request that a public member joins the Multiplex Society with full voting privileges, rights and responsibilities. Having been a member of the said society, I unsuccessfully tried numerous times to change its bylaws and invite the press and the public to at least have the the opportunity to attend the meetings. Each time I brought the said issue to the attention of other members of the Multiplex Society, my request was either voted down by the majority vote or it was simply ignored. As a member of the Multiplex Society and a ratepayer, I find it very difficult to deal with and digest. Especially when I was one of the original members of the ARMS committee that initiated the project in the first place. I am of the opinion that a $ 17,000,000.00 plus facility should NOT be governed by a “closed door policy” of its governing body. I also believe that the more transparent is its operation, the more profitable and less questionable the operation of this facility will be. People have the right to know what is going on. They cannot be ignored and disregarded. It is NOT the Multiplex Society that built this facility. Had it not been for the public from the Town of Athabasca and Athabasca County respectfully, and their contributions financially and otherwise, we would not have this facility today. I personally and as a member of the Multiplex Society, find it difficult to deal with the “close door policy” and I refuse to accept other members of the Multiplex Society arguments that support the “closed door policy”. The people of the Town of Athabasca and the Athabasca County respectfully, have invested far too much in this facility to be kept in the dark as to its day-to-day operations. Consequently, I see no reason why they, together with the local media, should be “forbidden” from attending. The “closed door policy” of the Multiplex Society, at least in my personal opinion, is a demonstration of a medieval approach and a tunnel vision that is no longer acceptable by modern communities. My second point of concern is the very similar approach of having a “closed door policy’’ when it comes to joint councils meetings. Again, personally I see no valid reason why these meetings are closed to the public and the local media. Since these meetings are joint, there are no resolutions made and no voting takes place. Most of the meeting involve general discussions that address issues which are of interest to the two municipalities, the Town of Athabasca and the Athabasca County. Seldom if ever, are there matters that must be addressed “in camera”. Therefore, and since these meetings address issues and matters of interest to both communities, namely the Town of Athabasca and the Athabasca County, I believe that the citizens of the two communities have a right to attend and possibly participate in the said meetings. Otherwise these meetings are nothing more than the proverbial and long outdated “Old Boys Club” meetings and that too, in my humble opinion must change and face the expectations of the XXI century. With today’s technology and the ever expanding social media, I see no reason why these and other meetings that involve the Town of Athabasca Council, cannot be recorded and posted on the Town of Athabasca web site for those who for ever reason could not come in person and attend the said meetings. This approach would be one extra step toward transparency, accountability and improved communication. So there you have it. My last point of the election platform. The rest is up to you, the voters. I have presented you with my plan for what I, as newly elected mayor and a leader of a newly elected team on Council plan to accomplish. I realize that nothing happens overnight. However, I also believe that if there is a will, there is a way and if elected I will do my best to fulfill my obligations to the best of my abilities. I am asking you, the voters, to give me the chance to show you what I am able to do by voting for me on October 21, 2013.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:05:03 +0000