COMMENT: Are Rosslanders 'nil' in council's mind?
By Rosa Jordan
The January 14 City Council meeting agenda shows that councillors will be dealing with numerous serious issues: speeding on Thompson Avenue, animal control bylaw, smoking regulations, child care lease renewal, and a few other things. However, in a section of the agenda titled Requests Arising from Correspondence, there is but a single word: NIL.
Nil?
What about Ken Holmes’ correspondence to Council requesting an independent investigation to find out what went wrong so steps can be taken to ensure that it won’t happen again? What about Leigh Harrison’s request that Council modify Bylaw 2473 that gives the CAO the power to approve contracts (and much more) without Council review? What about Leslie Beatson’s request for more openness related to the use of public funds? What about Teresa Adair’s letter requesting a review of the astoundingly expensive employment contracts given to senior staff?
What about all the other letters sent to Council requesting that these and other specific actions be taken to bring senior staff back under the control of Council and clean up the mess left by the former CAO?
Nil?
Which makes citizens who have corresponded with Council on these issues—what? Nilees? Should we invent Spock-type finger salute to identify ourselves as members of the Nil community? Or start a petition? Or march on City Hall? Or file a class-action lawsuit? (Careful with this one, as it would require that participating citizens not only pay their own legal costs but, via taxes, those of the City.)
Or continue to correspond with Council in hopes that it will eventually take your requests seriously enough to put them on the agenda? If you opt to continue writing to Council, perhaps, instead of closing with “respectfully,” “sincerely,” or “hopefully,” it would be more realistic to sign, “Nilly yours.”
Rosa Jordan is a Rossland-based novelist.
