Opinion - Who’s Running?

By Alex McCuaig

While the clock is winding down on what is likely the most turbulent year in Medicine Hat City Hall’s history, the timer ticking the days to the municipal election is just about to start.

With mammoth decisions yet to be made by council, it’s time the current lot of elected officials let the voting public know if they intend to run again.

If decisions are going to be made on how the future of the city’s energy utility is run before an election, it’s only fair the public know whether that call is being made by a lame duck.

If multi-million-dollar funding decisions are going to be made impacting the city for years to come, it’s reasonable to know if the current council is willing meet the electorate face to face to defend those actions.

If the current crop of council is preparing to bunker down in the newly security-enhanced city hall prior to cutting and running before the next election, that too has value for the public.

The present concept of public engagement has become something of a joke for Hatters who can recall past public sessions involving the future of the city’s energy utility.

One need only look at the promises made in the last budget to find examples of commitments to engage with the public that have yet to be fulfilled.

A half-million-dollar budgeted for a trio of city-wide traffic studies council approved in 2022 have yet to be released. No draft reports that were promised have been presented, no commitment to allow for public feedback have been kept.

But city staff had time to propose more traffic studies in the recent budget, however.

Even when reports like the Recreational Master Plan are completed along with the slew of surveys and studies that accompanied it, the spawn of such an initiative, Facilities of the Future, fails to meet its own timelines. In particular, the 2025 timeline to start construction on a new twin ice facility and south side rec centre.

Hatters shouldn’t expect the city’s vision for public engagement on changes to the energy utility will play out any differently.

Especially with a provincial investigation into city hall’s operations hanging over council like foul smelling flatulence and the reticence of this council to come near the sink it created.

Worse yet, city administrators announcing plans to purchase the Saamis Solar project in August via media release have stymied the mayor and councillors – let alone the public – from knowing details of the initiative.

And there appears to be issues with city administrations ability to communicate with elected officials or stakeholders as is currently being witnessed with issues surrounding the Mustard Seed.

As the clock winds down on what will go down on the most dysfunctional city hall in living memory it’s time council to reveal whether they are going to run again.

They’ve plunged this city into chaos, disappointed even ardent supporters, ignored the will of the electorate and lost any semblance of moral authority to govern.

Expectations should be kept low this council has the integrity to at least let citizens know if they are going to run again before making critical decisions on the future of the city.

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