Potholes and Road Painting

Our conversations are turning to the annual concern of the state and safety of St. John's roads because of the ever increasing number of potholes and the lack of road markings.

This issue has been raised in council chambers as well. Councillor Sandy Hickman is the leading proponent on this issue while the other councillors acknowledge the issue with a nod of the head and a "what do you expect with our climate?"

However there is something council could do, but they chose not to.

For this year's budget, city staff requested the following equipment to assist with the maintenance of city streets:

Additional paint machine, 3 pavement printers and 1 truck.........$324,500

Additional pothole patcher with two operators...........................$393,730

Total: $718,230

So, for an additional $718,230 city councillors (unanimously) decided not to contribute to a solution related to safety issues on our roads. Even half of this amount would have helped alleviate some of the safety concerns.

Councillors determined this aspect of road safety was a low priority for this year's budget. So low in fact, that it was one of several requests eliminated from the 2009 budget.

So as you dodge the city's potholes and drive in the incorrect lane or do not see the pedestrian crossing this Spring, remember, council did have a solution offered to them, and they chose not to accept it.

To Vote or not to Vote...That is the Conflict!

St. John’s city council’s decision to change its conflict of interest provisions is interesting.

Reasoning behind this change is to ensure the city is in compliance with the Municipalities Act. The proposed change will mean that a member of council cannot abstain from voting unless there is a conflict of interest or is permitted by a majority vote of council.

While I understand the principle behind the proposed amendment, I hope the new provision will be applied fairly and not be used as a political weapon to “corner” a fellow councillor. It is unfortunate members of council do not have enough trust in each other that, when a fellow councillor declares a conflict (as long as this conflict comes with a public explanation), council then has to have a vote to indicate whether it believes a conflict exists. Surely, if a councillor believes they have either a real or a perceived conflict, this is reason enough for the councillor not to vote on the issue. What perception is created for us should council overrule the individual councillor and, in effect, “force” a vote from the councillor? If a councillor is deemed to be taking advantage of this conflict provision (by not voting on issues), I’m sure fellow councillors will raise the point and citizens will have an opportunity to apply their own opinion either by contacting the councillor or through the ballot box.

Another issue this provision does highlight is the role of the mayor and his voting within council meetings. A perusal of council minutes will show that on split votes, there are many occasions the mayor’s vote is not recorded. An example of this is shown in the February 23 minutes. The vote on the hotel development for Water/Prescott Street records a 6-3 split. Councillors who voted for and against the motion are named and the deputy mayor is recorded as having abstained due to a conflict of interest. The mayor’s name is not listed. We do not know the mayor’s stance on this issue because, not only did he not vote on the issue, he did not debate the issue. The mayor abstained from voting.

My question to council is: As a councillor, will the mayor have to abide by the Municipalities Act and vote on all issues other than those where he is declared to be in conflict?

No Go Juno!!!

Mayor Dennis O'Keefe announced he is not going to attend the Juno Awards in Vancouver. He has learned there will be no participatory role for him in Vancouver thus feels he can not justify the trip.

I say "Well Done!"

It is pleasing to see this decision made but it does make one wonder why council approved this trip in the first place.

Questions that spring to mind...

What was council's approval based on?

What did the mayor know about this trip when he asked council for travel approval?

Just wondering...