Each councillor receives bonus points on this week’s hot list for scoring perfect attendance for a second straight council meeting. It’s not oftenthat all seven can attend. However, because of their lengthy debate on stairs, we’re taking away those bonus points. Was it really necessary to spend 15 minutes discussing the comparative merits of concrete vs. metal stairs? Do public stairways really need to be “pet-friendly”? Some onlookers worried council was about to start a “pet-friendly stairs sub-committee.” Coun. Barry Beardsell was unusually agreeable at the beginning but soon got his groove back by voting against free parking for the Woman of the Year, giving a thumbs down to a 40-unit apartment building on 30th Avenue and panning a parking meter replacement plan. He’s cold this week. Joining Beardsell on the cold list is Coun. Juliette Cunningham who also joined Beardsell in voicing displeasure with the closure of the government liquor stores and the apparent jump in booze prices. While it would be nice to drink cheaper liquor, maybe it’s time for this duo to be consumed with something other than alcohol. Compare a recent grocery bill and one from six months ago and you’ll notice many commodities that have suddenly spiked in cost. It’s time for Cunningham to speak up for overpriced items people need, not ones they want.Coun. Pat Cochrane is on the hot list for getting hot under the collar at city staff who leave lights on overnight. First of all, kudos to Cochrane for apparently working long hours and secondly, it’s great he brought up the issue. Staff should be more diligent about flipping the switch. Tax dollars pay for those bulbs and most people have a hard enough time paying their own light bill, let alone paying for ones carelessly left on overnight by a city worker. For walking out of the meeting early, Coun. Patrick Nicol has earned himself a hot rating. Nicol excused himself because of a conflict of interest when a development issue came up that affected a house on his street, even though he wasn’t legally required to leave. Coun. Jack Gilroy earns a hot rating this week for speaking up for the previously mentioned apartment block on 30th Avenue. By building more and more multi-family units maybe prices will become more reasonable.
Going from cold to hot this week is Coun. Buffy Baumbrough who earned her way back on to the hot list by bashing the water turbidity notification system. Constant water quality notices have led most residents to ignore the warnings and Baumbrough is correct in saying the system needs to be revamped. Because we all know what happened to the boy who cried turbidity too many times . . . Mayor Wayne Lippert has earned himself a hopeful hot rating. Lippert picked up his phone and talked to the Vernon Daily Courier earlier this week, something he doesn’t always do. Hopefully, the mayor will continue to be more phone-friendly and not just on a drizzly Easter Monday.
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