How to run a meeting

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

Berwick Mayor John Prall and chief administrative officer Bob Ashley led a lesson in civics and government June 26 - for their own council members.

They reported on recent sessions they’d attended for municipal units who use the committee-of-the-whole (COTW) meeting structure.

“We’ve used COTW to speed up the process - debate, questions and answers - and council is just a rubber stamp,” Prall said.

“We need to make a change. If we don’t start to run them properly, there may be legislation.”

Berwick adopted COTW about seven years ago. Before, each councillor looked after a town department or committee and gave reports to monthly council sessions. With COTW, staff make monthly reports to councillors, who use the information to make recommendations for council’s vote, generally two weeks later.

“We were led into this because everyone was, and it’s a problem right across Canada.”

Prall and Ashley said new models may include more casual council get-togethers where members can “just vent,” Prall said, “without the press, setting priorities and what not.”

COTW itself would become an information-gathering session, leaving councillors time to develop positions before making and voting on a decision at a formal council.

“If the public asked which was the best meeting to go to,” Ashley said, “we’d have to say COTW. That’d be like saying a back room in parliament is more important than the floor of the house.

“The democratic process is somewhat undermined by having COTW with quasi-legislative powers.”

Ashley also said there is potential for staff to become involved in political discussion and decision-making with much of the debate going on at COTW. “That should be avoided.

“We should provide information objectively, and councillors should listen, ask questions and say thank you.”

Furthermore, Prall said, council needs to unite around its decisions.

“Every one of us should go out of this door with nothing but that decision - we’re a team. It’s our decision when we’re finished with it.”

He said, too, “the CAO controls staff, the mayor controls council” when it comes to how people looking for information should approach the town. That includes answering questions on how councillors may have voted on an issue.

“You say nothing - if they want to know how you voted, they can check the minutes. Once it’s voted on, it’s council’s - our - decision,” Prall said.

Councillor Anna Ashford Morton said there has to be a “softer way” then to tell people to read town minutes for information.

“And, there has to be a better way than not acknowledging votes for and against a decision.”

Prall said “you do the best you can to have people think your way but, if the end is they don’t” in a vote, “accept it.”

Councillor Gary Whittier said he has never felt intimidated or influenced by staff in a vote, but agreed with the team mentality council should foster.

“If you’re split down the middle on a whole lot of issues, it’s just not going to work.”

Ashley suggested developing a “code of good governance” or “good conduct” for councillors may help resolve issues around voting ethics, meeting banter, formal debate procedures and how to access information from council and staff.