Cornwall Ontario – I sat through my second council meeting in nearly three years. (More about that in another column) but one thing was still the same.
Bernadette “Flipper” Clement still bloviated as though she was in full campaign mode. Not sure what she’s campaigning for now, but it certainly didn’t seem like the pocket books of those that have elected her to multiple terms?
There she was at the end of a farcical near half year long budget process waving her wee hands and moaning and belabouring about essentially not getting her way even if she wavers on what her way is. Was it an apology? Was it a passionate plea? Did she simply have gas? We may never know..
Looking around the room at the faces of staffers and my fellow media folk (yes, even the disrespectful and nasty Bill Kingston who won’t give me back my media chair) it looked like there may be calls to the suicide prevention lines as she droned on for what seemed like hours straying into future topics as well.
I’ve been covering Cornwall city council since 09 when Flipper was just a rookie disaster, and this scribbler thinks it may be time to put a two minute rule in for councilors to bloviate, especially if the mayor can’t keep count of who’s speaking when or how many times.
Bob Kilger may have had some flaws, but he kept a council meeting moving.
At the end of the day this collective joke passed a 3.97 tax increase by gutting the brownfield reserves sponsored by that pillock David Murphy. What the short sighted, female student and barmaid overfriendly (#metoo) numpty doesn’t understand is that when you announce a cut like this it sends a message out to developers, especially when you add in delivery charges, that Cornwall essentially isn’t open for business. And that’s a factor in why we’re in the mess we are in fiscally.
It’s as goofy as cutting our incentive program for doctors. And all because our elected leaders don’t have the testicular fortitude to cut what needs to be cut. We have a fire service of professional firefighters, not volunteers or part timers who spend how much on training? Really? We can’t cut a smidge of that budget?
But as long as we have weak councilors that give CAO Maureen Adams a free pass expect more and worse budgets over at least the next two years.
As for the arguments about MPAC? Well it was no surprise. It wasn’t an overnight psunami. And good management would’ve communicated to council that we had to weather the storm instead of perhaps buying old bank buildings and funding College Auditoriums.
As the old proverb goes; “you get the government you deserve.”
Luckily there’s an election this year and the fiscally raped of Cornwall will have a chance to help improve things before it gets worse, and sadly it will get worse before it gets better just cleaning up the mess of this motley crew.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? Do you even care how your tax monies are spent? Do you care, if you’re on a fixed income, that your cost of living will go up across the board because of tax hikes of 20% per term?
You can post your comments below.
This council has been a disaster from the start. There needs to be limits put on “debates” and the length of discussions. Having the budget talks go on for over 5 months is disgusting. And all because they kept playing “pass the buck.” Maybe Brock Frost had the right idea when he left early. What has this council accomplished? Not much to be proud about. Election time will be telling!!!