COMMENT: Through the looking glass. A concerned look at the current state of Rossland council

By Erin Handy

Someone is voting for Laurie Charlton, and I've never understood who. Surely no one who's ever checked out the councillor's creative and endlessly ideological math, or enjoyed another tirade about the size of the wheels on a developer's future dumpsters, and the nefarious single door, road variance and side setbacks on an (admittedly unsightly) Second Avenue garage at multiple, consecutive council meetings.

The small show home in Red's ugly upper parking lot is wired for light. Who cares? The City wants an underground assessment of sewers installed at the turn of the century – the last century. Yes, let's have a look. The arena should be disposed of (yup, I'll get to that soon).

Please don't get me wrong, Charlton is great for this gig. My gig, I mean. He's contentious, he's committed to his curious ideals, he keeps the weird factor in Chambers somewhere near the ceiling, and he often lets slip information that he shouldn't. As a reporter, he makes my job easy. But he makes the City's job unbelievably difficult.

Running a city is no cakewalk – it's a quasi-corporate body that manages millions, and has huge potential to impact citizens' daily lives in innumerable ways; a council needs to attract talent. Anyone smart, well-informed about the ongoing antics in Chambers, and reasonably attached to their sanity, would wisely shy away from the job here in Rossland.

In short, Charlton's continued presence on Rossland city council is a problem. He's not a functional servant of the public interest, but neither is he entirely wrong about the most concerning current issue at City Hall.

Bullying.

I like Mayor Greg Granstrom very much. I like his old-timey charm, his untamed moustache, his adorable dog and – more seriously – his insistence on addressing practical issues in an excitable, intellectual community that can be kindly characterized as overly idealistic at times. I was the only woman in the room at the Valentine's Day meeting who did not receive a pink carnation from the mayor, but this I can forgive. I'd have suggested he wear it.

The gavel-banging and call to the RCMP to remove Charlton from City Hall that marred that February 14 meeting was certainly an identifiable peak in the disintegration of civility around the council table. But the abrupt treatment of councillors such as the bright but obviously aggravated Andy Stradling, is an additional cause for concern.

Not because I object to the mayor's frustration. I feel it myself, squirming in that hard little chair as the clock ticks past 10 P.M. I object because with the arrival of experienced administrator Victor Kumar, Granstrom's frequent implication that advice from staff bears no scrutiny – that independent evaluation of staff recommendations by councillors, or the questioning of staff conclusions – is somehow unnecessary or disrespectful, is a disgrace.

This approach is alarming. It's intellectually lazy and undemocratic in a political structure where citizens were (presumably) elected because their perceived skills and values were appealing to the community. Certain councillors can be annoying at times, to be sure, and some more than others! But a council is never an annoyance.

The mayor may not entirely understand the impression he's giving. He and I have something in common: we've both been on a staff attached to politics, and it's a challenging position. Work is expected fast, and decisions are slow. Recognition can be rare. Rossland has an impressive and professional staff, but their role is to provide information and advice, not drive policy decisions. It's a nuanced division of roles, and I suspect Granstrom feels he's simply being supportive.

Council members could use more of that support, sir. Otherwise, the talent pool come fall election season is certain to be shallow.