Windsor City Council - Democracy Deficit...Two

By Alan Halberstadt
http://www.alanhalberstadt.com/


It’s official. Cogeco Cable will not be televising live Monday’s critical City Council strategic planning meeting at the WFCU Centre unless it is staged on the ice in the main bowl.

Rob Scussolin, manager of TV coverage for Cogeco, made that joke while ruminating on the problems experienced by the station in covering Council meetings outside Council Chambers.

Cogeco’s fibre feed at the WFCU is set up for Spitfire hockey games and it is buried under the area that houses the Zamboni machines. Scussolin tells me the possibility of Cogeco filming the meeting and running it on a delayed basis is very remote as well given the late notice from the city on the change in venue.

The Cogeco truck would need to be set up outside the front of the building, and the lighting and microphone systems would need to be compatible in the Michigan Room, on the second floor above one of the community rinks, where Council will meet.

In my view the lack of consideration for Cable TV is a major oversight. Mayor Eddie Francis was quoted in today’s Windsor Star that Council will be in a position to announce three key transitional projects for downtown within two weeks, including a major family-based attraction, museum and downtown marina.

It is obvious that these matters will be the sole focus of Monday’s meeting, although it has no agenda.

I presume the mayor has lined up the Council votes he needs to speed forward with these initiatives without so much as a Council report on feasibility and financing, both capital and operational.

While other media will be there, this is hardly fair to average Windsor citizens who religiously watch Council meetings. Scussolin describes the telecasts as “extremely popular.”

In May, Council will officially reduce its regular meetings to two per month. On the off weeks, six standing committees comprised solely of Councillors will meet alternatively.

The Cogeco people will huddle with the deputy city clerk in April to discuss arrangements to televise those lesser meetings. Scussolin says Cogeco will not be prepared to go to the trouble of setting up for rubber stamp meetings that might last only 30 minutes.

“If they are substantial meetings, yes we are interested,” he says.