Council Committees – Citizen Groups Feel Snubbed

During the first question period of the April 23rd Council meeting, Mount Royal Municipal Association (MRMA) president Lew Greenberg asked about the committees’ mandates and means of appointment, circuitously wondering why so few of his members haven’t been recently named.

“Over its 75 years of existence, the pride of the (MRMA) has been to express our affirmative or negative opinions as watchdogs of the mayor and council, especially a council with no members of the opposition being elected,” he noted.

Greenberg contrasted the four MRMA members who were named to committees last year with only one member – himself to the Public Security Committee – being named this year. Kathy Elie, an executive member whom he didn’t mention by name in his written statement, was not re-appointed to the Recreation Committee after serving for many years on the body. Greenberg noted that the executive member has “vigourously opposed” the cultural centre project.

Another MRMA member, who sat on the Finance Committee, didn’t re-apply this year because he was disappointed at the body not being able to discuss Council’s regular financial statements. Councillor John Miller, who heads that committee, said he didn’t attend its first two meetings due to being out-of-town and at the third wanted to revisit what had previously been discussed.

“It seems that our mayor and council do not want any opposition to their administration,” he concluded.

Mayor Vera Danyluk replied that they used four criterias to choose committee members. The committees are consultative, not deliberative, bodies as some past members expected, she explained.

On some committees, such as the Environment, there was a desire for continuity to keep working on long-term policies while on others, Council looked at bringing in new members.

Members were also chosen for being able to contribute “positive ideas” and present a long-term vision for their committee as well as for their “good judgement” and “discretion” since some of the information received is confidential before Council makes a decision.

Vigilance Mont-Royal president Brigitte Mack brought up the same issue, saying that Council was “shutting down both municipal associations” and not opening up information to other people. Last year, she applied to the Recreation Committee, but wasn’t accepted perhaps not unexpectedly due to running against Danyluk in the mayoral race, she said.

The mayor flatly denied those assertions, saying they want to make sure to get out all the information possible. “We want people to be involved in a positive way and not a negative way.” As a sign of the developing rift between Council and the two citizen groups, Mack replied: “No, your way or the highway.”