Who's in, who's out and what's in camera

It didn't take long for the latest step in Brockville's OPP costing process to generate plenty of online debate. 

Usually I've got little time for the kind of sniping and snarling that goes on under stories I write about city council.

If firing Dave Paul is your solution to Brockville's economic woes, or you think there's a secret video hidden somewhere that reveals everything about Dave Henderson, you probably don't have a firm grasp on the realities of municipal governance.

(I would, however, gladly start a kickstarter campaign to uncover that video His Worship joked about, the one of his revels at this weekend's BCI celebration. It wouldn't be a “crackstarter,” mind you, more like an “oskeeweeweestarter.”)

The debate between Mayor Henderson and his former electoral foe, Louise Severson, under the OPP story ranks among those happy exceptions where the debate in fact advances the story, creating a productive feedback loop.

That debate, as you will see, hinges on whether Henderson should have appointed at least one of the three dissenting voices in the initial costing vote to the new OPP costing committee.

The mayor's rationale seems to be that, since the priority now is to get the facts out, the committee should not waste time by reviving the costing debate.
Henderson told council at the meeting he was shooting for a large enough group while still keeping it at a workable size.
In this case, though, size is not as important as composition.

All three of the dissenting voters, Jeff Earle, Jane Fullarton and Mary Jean McFall, have been known to have a keen sense of fiscal prudence. Mix that with a skeptical attitude toward the highest-paid police force in Ontario and you might just get a sharper blade rather than needless friction.
One hopes the mayor is sincere in his promise to keep the information flowing both ways between the OPP and the public. The less often things are discussed in camera, the less the composition of the committee will matter.

I intend to probe further into the question of what the OPP considers a “sensitive” topic worthy to be moved behind closed doors, and whether or not it corresponds to the city's own strict rules for in-camera meetings.

If the two are in conflict, the mayor seems to be suggesting, the OPP's interpretation might win.

Considering the subject matter to be discussed, one can expect more than a few battles in the months to come over transparency.