Stephen Chase is boycotting closed-door meetings

Stephen Chase is boycotting closed-door meetings at city hall.

There are two reasons for the boycott:

• Because of council’s ridiculous decision to launch an RCMP investigation into leaks.
• Because there should be a better system to deal with sensitive items.

“I just think there’s a better way,” said Chase, who has avoided the most recent private meetings, with the exception of an interview with the incoming commissioner of planning.

Chase’s protest was triggered by a council-approved criminal investigation into who leaked a piece of confidential legal information to the Telegraph-Journal. Since then, at least three former council members, a former mayor, a former city solicitor, a political scientist, and a top media lawyer have said the investigation is either baseless or over the top. Chase voted against the motion, along with Deputy Mayor Michelle Hooton and councillors Chris Titus, John Ferguson and Bill Farren.

He wants council to consider a system once floated by former deputy mayor Derek Chase (no relation) that would see all items start in open session, during the televised session in the council chamber. The then-deputy mayor had suggested that staff could write justifications the Friday before each Monday meeting on why a certain item should go from open to closed session. If a councillor wanted to argue that an item bound for closed session should be dealt with openly, he or she could make his or her case - in public - without revealing the most delicate details.

When Derek Chase suggested the idea in 1999, only four people were supportive: the former deputy himself, former councillor Mel Vincent, and current councillors Titus and Chase.

“It’s just another filter,” Stephen Chase said.