Push came to shove on the question of Penticton City Council’s meeting schedule this week, and council blinked.
Coun. Helena Konanz, raised the concept of a different schedule after a series of meetings running close to the six-hour mark, due to excessively long public hearings beforehand.
However, it seemed the main considerations for some of the city councillors was whether a different meeting time suited their personal schedule, and whether that might make potential candidates in the next election not consider running.
But Konanz was right in saying that Penticton is growing past the point where the business of running the city can be handled in a couple of hours once every two weeks. Being a city councillor here is considered a part-time job, though it should be noted that councillors are not doing the job for free — with an honorarium in the $20,000 range plus benefits, councillors are paid about the same as someone working full-time on minimum wage.
It’s a dichotomy that won’t be resolved until Penticton grows enough to support full-time councillors/politicians. Until that day the taxpayers deserve better from our elected politicians.
When you were voted into office, you entered into an implicit relationship with the people of this city, that you were willing to contribute what was needed to get the job done. There is no hidden clause that says “when convenient.”
We are not saying that 9 a.m. Monday is the best choice for council meetings. And we recognize that a successful businessman is a good choice for council. But do councillors whose first concern is they don’t have the time to spare for a morning meeting ever really have time to focus properly on council business?
Being a councillor costs; it affects free time and work. That’s why a substantial honourarium comes with the job.
The same goes for someone considering running for office. There are, and always will be, many who can’t do it because of other commitments. It doesn’t mean they can’t find another way to contribute, and many do.