City Notebook: Council should welcome any help it can get

By Collin Gallant on June 1, 2024.

Group therapy might be too strong a word for what happened at Medicine Hat city hall on Wednesday, but it might be what’s needed.

Longtime, well-known municipal government consultant George Cuff did a run through of how he figures city hall ought to work. About two hours made up the public portion of the meeting before a closed-door workshop that night with nine council members.

He spoke in generalities to council and staff, but the gist is to buck up and do your job, not someone else’s.

There’s a lot of subtext to it all, of course. Hatters have been trying to put together the plot points of the soap opera for a while of obvious strife and a schism between Mayor Linnsie Clark and council.

The replay available on the city’s YouTube channel is recommended viewing for those up in arms this spring, up to their limit with city hall in general, or up for a run at a council seat next year.

What will come of it? Who knows?

Mind you, who knows what will happen with long promised rec facility plan, a plan to tackle disorder in the downtown, a review of utility rates, a economic development strategy, and on and on and on?

Speaking ofâ€¦

The silliness surrounding the former media table in council chambers appears to be peaking.

Starting this week, it’s completely gone – off to Table Heaven? – one month after chairs were removed, then it was roped off.

One can only assume it’s a reaction to this city’s web-based journalists who have made it a mission to be front and centre at meetings, placing a tripod for filming atop the table during the height of contentious meetings this spring, and simply standing there ever since.

This is right above the screen councillors view when gallery members are looking at the big screen above the council table.

That it’s a distraction would seem a reasonable explanation, if only someone, anyone was explaining it.

But, city officials haven’t. Nor has the measure been effective.

Since the restriction, the parties have been front and centre during meetings while discussing the matter from time to time with security guards.

Six weeks in, everyone remotely connected to the issue looks extremely dumb.

Anniversaries

The current United Conservative government celebrated the one-year anniversary of the 2023 general election on May. We see there’s a fundraising dinner planned in the Hat on June 6 with local MLAs, Premier Danielle Smith and Justin Wright.

The Alberta Party is set to hold a convention this weekend in Calgary to decide its future and new leadership after Barry Morishita stepped down last summer.

The NDP holds their last leadership debate Sunday in Edmonton. The contest’s results will be known June 21.

June is filling up fast

Spectrum weekend, the Public Library book sale, and a bunch of stuff is on this weekend.

The Newell Pro Rodeo is next weekend, and word comes from afar that the WPCA chuckwagons started up at the Grande Prairie Stampede on Thursday. They make their way to the Hat for a derby on June 20-23.

Redcliff Days run June 14-17.

(And, clear your calendar now, because we hear tell of a pie-eating contest at the Redcliff Canada Day celebration.)

A look ahead

Council meets Monday and there’s an announcement planned for HALO rescue planned for Tuesday.

100 years ago

Connaught downed Elm Street 5-4 to open the senior schools baseball league. Alexandra would field a team for each of three grades at the high school, the News reported 100 years ago this week.

Two heirs to Chicago fortunes were accused of attempting to plan the perfect crime in the premeditated murder of a school boy in that city. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were to be indicted.

The Canadian Pacific “Empress of Canada” was greeted in Vancouver by church bells and crowds in the thousands at Stanley Park after a 30,000-mile round the world cruise that began January 30.

Inventor Grindall Matthews would instead offer the “death dealing ray with remarkable results” to France.

Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topics for the News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 or via email at cgallant@medicinehatnews.com.