April 9th, 2015 was an interesting day for me and others.
I was on the Lantzville Council at the time. Other council members included Denise Haime, John Coulson, Jennifer Millbank, Dave Scott, Graham Savage, and Rod Negrave.
We had all been elected as part of the November 15, 2014 election. I should have realized right from the start the possibility that some people in this group had no intention of working together. As I had done in the past, the first order of business that I undertook when elected was to meet with all new council members individually. The purpose of this was to congratulate them on their election, express my thoughts regarding the make-up of council and hear their thoughts as to their goals/objectives for the next term.
One counciller, that I met with in a coffee shop, I perceived as very cold in regards to the discussion. Keeping in mind that our council was made up of accountants, lawyers, planners, engineers and an individual with a doctorate in foresty, I thought the professional makeup of council would bode well with regards to the abilities to critically think and assess directions, policies and initiatives. While I knew at the time that some personalities were in conflict due to past events, I though the professionalism would rise above this to work hard for Lantzville residents. Was I ever mistaken.
After I listed off the expertise on Council and expressed my positive thoughts regarding the makeup, this councillor stated very forcefully that they were not elected due to their professional standing and expertise. After I questioned this statement I asked, if their expertise was of no consequence, why would they list their credentials on their election materials and also mention it during previous discussions and debates? The councillor had no response and that is where the meeting ended. In my opinion, this councillor did not like being challenged nor did they like being asked questions that illustrated inconsistencies. The fun was just beginning.
More to come.