Saint John’s Common Council votes to throw more money down the drain

In a close vote that came down to the Mayor deciding, Council voted to go ahead with launching a criminal investigation into recent media leaks from a closed door meeting. The last time a leak happened, this is what the Mayor had to say - “I don’t see any reason to have an investigation. You’re never going to stop it. You people are always going to get your leaks. It’s common nature, around the cabinet table in Fredericton, in Ottawa, all over the place.”

Those voting in favour of the investigation included: Glen Tait, Peter McGuire, Carl White, Jay-Young Chang, and Ivan Court.

There were voices of reason at the table however, councilors voting against it included: Stephen Chase, Chris Titus, Bill Farren, John Ferguson, and Michelle Hooton. These are the names you want to remember on election day this May!

Stephen Chase, who voted against the decision, has been looking for ways to resolve the issue without having to call the police.

But why shouldn’t we call the police you might ask? Well this isn’t the first time this has occurred in Saint John’s history. In a quick lunch hour search, Chase found examples from 1975, 1977, 1979, 1984 and 1994. Former mayor Shirley McAlary, former deputy mayor Derek Chase, and former councillor and mayor Eric Teed all said that leaks are common and that a criminal investigation is overkill.

Chase says the only “cultured” idea he’s heard out of City Hall lately has been a suggestion by Titus and Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooton to move the council chambers to the Sydney Street courthouse. “That shows forward thinking and cultural appreciation. Slagging someone you don’t know and trying to drag the cops in as your strong right arm is, to me, the opposite.”

Just ask veteran councillor Mel Vincent, who served more than two decades as a member of common council. He is a strong proponent of discussing the issues out in the open. He has some incredibly good quotes below.

“Surely, there’s a better way to run things and I think it’s by taking everything to open session,” Vincent said. “I’m sure the meetings would be faster and everyone would have to be on their best behaviour if everything was held out in public view.”

“Doing business in open session might even trigger better decision-making and better outcomes for the city than we’ve seen in the past.”

Vincent, who retired from municipal politics in May 2001, conceded there are occasions when issues should be discussed behind closed doors. But he’s not convinced that it has to be every item that falls under the so-called ‘three Ls’ - land, labour and legal.

“There will always be occasions where something of paramount importance might have to go to a true committee of the whole,” he said. “There’s no question that there are situations where that would pop up, everyone understands that. But those should be very few and far between.”

My suggestion for council, or at least the councillors who want to spend more time wasting money then fixing the actual problem - do it in the open. You will never stop people from leaking information as long as all of your discussions are behind closed doors. Listen to the great advice from Mel Vincent and fix the problem at the source. It’s in the best interest of the citizens of Saint John!