Seen and not heard

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - July 01, 2008

There's an old saying that children should be seen and not heard, and, unfortunately, it seems to also apply to residents taking a stand. Case in point was a petition in which about 600 people demanded that a four-way stop be installed at 43rd Avenue and 20th Street, the very same intersection in which cab driver Howard Collins died in a two-vehicle accident April 20. Many residents were concerned that the City of Vernon's plans for traffic calming devices wouldn't be enough to prevent another tragedy in the future, so they took pen to paper. However, it appears that the petition would have just disappeared in some black, bureaucratic hole if it wasn't for Coun. Barry Beardsell. During the June 23 council meeting, Beardsell raised the issue of the petition, a document he and all of his colleagues had received a month before. Debate ensued, and ultimately council opted to go against a previous decision on traffic calming devices and to install a four-way stop at the intersection. The real question, though, is why did a petition from members of the public never get added to the council agenda by those who normally draft the agenda (staff and the mayor)? "The annoying part was no one was going to say anything about it (petition)," said Beardsell during an interview. "It's a big petition and it was just going to be buried." Did it not come before council through normal channels because council had already voted on traffic calming devices? Was it because council didn't want to go against the advice of staff? Who knows?

But the reality is that the actual decision, while important, is a side issue from the matter of open and transparent government. When residents write a letter or sign a petition, they should feel confident that their concerns are actually going to be recognized by their elected officials. It doesn't mean that the residents will actually get their way, but that due process was followed and they were heard.But Vernon isn't the only jurisdiction that is having troubles in this regard.

There is considerable talk in Coldstream as to why firefighters have not been allowed access during the construction of the new fire hall on Aberdeen Road. "It's a liability issue. I can't go in there," said Mayor Gary Corner when asked Monday. And certainly there needs to be restrictions in place as it is a construction zone and the municipality doesn't want anyone hurt. But I see a substantial difference between the public or curious politicians and members of Coldstream's volunteer fire department. It is these firefighters that will have to use the hall and they should be reassured that everything that is being constructed will meet the needs they specified during the design stage. I would also suspect that as most of these individuals have been firefighters for years, they could provide vital advice to the contractor to ensure that the project proceeds as planned. Corner isn't sure if the fire department has had any role since the initial design process, but he insists they haven't been shut out. "They can make an appointment with the contractor for a site tour and provide input that way," he said. I'm sorry, but that's backwards. If anyone should be going cap in hand, it should be the municipality to the firefighters to ensure that they are satisfied with the project and its ability to provide emergency services to the community. After all, residents agreed to borrow money for construction of two new fire halls because they understand the need for firefighting services and because there is considerable respect for those individuals who tirelessly volunteer their time for the betterment of Coldstream. Their positive vote wasn't an indication of support for council or administration.