Comment 56183

By cmc (anonymous) | Posted January 13, 2011 at 11:39:09

I 'd have thought that Council would have more interest than it showed about the details of the mayor's discussions with the football team. What understanding do the parties have about the adjoining lands and what revenue streams are the Tiger Cats looking to establish or tap into? If I'm not mistaken, only Councillor Duvall showed an interest in these questions. Why is Bob Young but not the mayor talking about the adjoining lands? Why were almost all questions throughout the long discussion directed to Chris Murray and none to the mayor?

Some councillors spent a lot of time positioning themselves in the light of the history of the stadium debate, either expressing relief at great length over a last minute solution or remorse over a process gone wrong. Too much posturing given the time frame in which these explorations are to take place. It would have been helpful to use more of their limited time probing the details of the discussions and the mayor's understanding with the football club.

Bratina was dismissive of Clark's amendment to remove the designation of Ivor Wynne as the city's "preferred site" but it was adopted. Clark argued that the designation weakened the city's negotiating position with the Cats. Given that few questions were asked about what considerations the team's ownership might be seeking in the deal the amendment was a useful though too late reminder to Council that they are responsible for the terms of any agreement.

Maybe I haven’t been in the city long enough but I’m not a big critic of City Council. They aren't my preferred representatives but they seem like serious people trying to do a difficult job. They do waste a lot of time in debate, however, and I felt that was the case last night. Robert D. is right to note their caution about criticizing the Cats but they’d have done better to try to obtain more information and shape the city's approach than to position themselves for a final vote.

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds