Cornwall Ontario – On Monday evening Cornwall’s City Councilors met to go over and discuss current issues happening. It was a small meeting this week, with Councilor Carr M.I.A, only three reporters and four people sitting in on the meeting. The mayor as always, joined us in fine fashion as he sat down to start the meeting just after 7PM. There were no presentations or delegations that took place at all through out the meeting.
No Tanks On Our Harbor Front was brought up briefly in the beginning. Councilor Bernadette Clement, who started off by thanking all staff for putting the issue on the agenda and then went on to say,
“The message that we have as council that we’ve had as council, that the community has had, is no tanks on the water front. So that’s the main consensus, but the federal government has put this in front of us once again.”
The council will now have to look at whether we want to move forward with the Mohawk council or whether they should step aside and let the federal government take care of it.
Through out the meeting each councilor said their piece, during one of the discussions Councilor Samson went onto to mention that we are all special every single one of us. This idea seemed slightly strange coming out of the councilor’s mouth, it was followed on by a speech about people, families, and kids. There was a main point brought up that sent major discussion exploding within the meeting. The notion that was brought up was, increasing the income made by each city councilor.
City Councilor Elaine Macdonald comments,
“I think we are under paid for what we do.”
The discussion didn’t seem to leave all the councilors very happy though when Elaine went onto say,
“I think we should move this amendment to January 2015.”
Councilor Murphy, as well as one other councilor came and sat down next to what little gathering of the public there was. Another councilor went on to express that everyone thinks everybody is over paid. True as it may be, are the city councilors really getting underpaid or over paid?
Since the discussion was declared to be moved in the end, there will be no legitimate answer until a copy of the budget does come out. When this particular discussion ended, councilor Murphy along with his other councilmen went back to their seats to join the rest of their fellow councilor members. The meeting moved along slowly after that. When it finally ended the councilors were all asked to continue privately fifteen minutes later, once all the media had cleared out.
E.V. Hutcheon is a 2nd year St. Lawrence College Journalism Student. She has professionally edited a Polish history book and is hoping to see her dream and passion of writing into a career. Previously living Toronto, E.V. is now a proud Cornwall citizen. On her off time you can usually find her at home writing her latest book, or walking along the St Lawrence River.
why was no one notified of the possibility the storage tank issue would be brought up at this meeting? or is this item being brought up at every meeting they have? we need to be kept abreast of the situation before it escalates further
“When it finally ended the councillors were all asked to continue privately fifteen minutes later, once all the media had cleared out.” Isn’t it illegal for them to meet privately? Or were they discussing a pay raise. If so, that discussion should take place in open council, not behind closed doors. After all it is OUR money they are talking about.
When councillors Murphy and Gardiner joined the gallery wasn’t that due to the current discussion taking place about WinterFest? I think they are on the board or connected to it somehow and were just observing the new guidelines council had passed in regard to conflict of interest.
In regard to a council raise in pay they should do what Ottawa does. In Ottawa the current council cannot vote themselves a raise, but they can give the next (as in after the next municipal election) council a raise. Council giving themselves a raise to me is sort of a conflict of interest, if not legally in a conflict of interest position it sure is morally a conflict of interest.
When people lose confidence they don’t care anymore. I sure do know what that is like. As long as people don’t care anymore then there is no hope. Bare Ass will continue to exploit everyone and so will his dirty clique. There sure must be plenty of fluoride dumped in Cornwall’s water for years since the people take all the abuse coming from Bare Ass and his gang. Cornwall is not for the young anymore and they will have to move on. Eleven councellors for such a tiny town and they sure know how to fleece the public. Wait until the next tax bill comes in – there will be plenty of empty houses on the market. This will be only the very beginning of shocks to come. You haven’t seen anything yet. Hold on to your shorts and wait and watch.