I have read, with great interest, the March 16 and 19 articles on the firing of former city councillor Gilles Prefontaine for a city administration job focused, in part, on city planning. This move certainly caused raised eyebrows across the city. Was it inappropriate? I don’t know.
I have no problem with a sitting councillor applying for a position that they feel that they are appropriate for. Could it have been handled much better? Emphatically yes! I believe that the city manager should have recused himself when then-councillor Prefontaine applied to the position. In no way could the city manager’s relationship with the applicant have been construed as arm’s length.
Involvement of an unbiased third party in the hiring process was particularly requisite in this case as the individual hired deviated significantly from the description in the job posting. We, the residents in this city, expect our elected, and appointed officials to behave in a manner that is above reproach. Not just a lack of impropriety, but avoiding, at all costs, the appearance of impropriety. If the city manager truly believes that he behaved appropriately then he should welcome, even seek, an investigation of this issue by an unbiased provincial government group. This would slay the issue without leaving citizens feeling that a cover-up has occurred.
On a related issue, I would like to address the comment made by one of the Saturday article’s interviewees to the effect that this is just the grumblings of a few malcontents that want to tear this city down. I do not believe that this is fair. These are citizens responding to what they believe is bias and empire building in city hall. Is this true? I don’t know, but the actions of our mayor, council and senior city employees have certainly seemed to lack transparency over the past few years. Issues, such as the mayor and council’s expense irregularities, point to a cavalier attitude, regardless of whether the accounting errors were in their own, or the city’s favour.
Finally, much has been said regarding ongoing problems between some components of city council and others, most recently in a series of letters initiated by a relative of one of our councillors. I believe that our mayor, as council’s leader, needs to work on engaging all of council, not only those with whom he agrees. I’ve met most of council (all, with one exception). I believe that they are all genuinely good people with a passion for this city. I don’t mind that they disagree with each other. Indeed, I want my city councillors to act with conscience and argue passionately for what they know is right on each issue. More strife, not less!
My only concern is the way that disagreements unfold in council meetings, with all too often the same four on one side of an issue and the same three on the other. Again, this smacks of power brokering and political manoeuvring and not proper, respectful dissent. I think that with effort on the part of all seven, the problems that plague council can be remedied. Crucial to this is a commitment from all to fairly solicit much more resident input and act on what the citizens want and need.
John-Paul Zonneveld, St. Albert
