Politicians are human just like us and occasionally tempers flare.
And that was certainly the case Monday as Vernon council members tackled the contentious issue of Kalamalka Lake Road upgrades once again, and the potential closure’s impact on businesses.
It probably didn’t help that Coun. Scott Anderson accused his colleagues of being arrogant because they headed in a direction the dozen merchants sitting in the gallery didn’t like.
“We’re sitting here and telling people what’s best for their business. They know what’s best for their business,” he said.
But while Anderson was quick to target council for dismissing the businesses, he did exactly the same thing when he suggested there’s very few homes there, despite the rows and rows of condos on Browne and Kal Lake roads.
That overt contradiction had Mayor Akbal Mund on the edge of his seat.
“We’re talking about a highly residential area. There are a hell of a lot of residents (living) there and we need to take them into account,” said Mund.
Anderson, in an eagerness to distance himself from the rest of the crowd, actually undermined his defense of the common man. Yes the businesses have a major investment connected to the road, but so do those homeowners.
Beyond Mund, Coun. Juliette Cunningham also took aim at Anderson and blamed him for stirring up the businesses.
“What muddied the water was throwing in an option — 24/7 — that wasn’t even on the table,” she said referring to Anderson’s idea to have construction work around the clock to avoid a lengthy road closure.
The concept was roundly slammed by city staff and politicians as being potentially disruptive to residents and unpalatable among contractors.
“I wish you would stop giving false hope to the people here,” Cunningham told Anderson.
“Stop trying to minimize what we’re doing here. We’re not nasty people.”
Now Cunningham is absolutely right, council is not made up of nasty individuals. Decisions are made with the best of intent and not purposely meant to screw anyone.
However, Cunningham overlooked an important fact and that is the duty of elected officials to challenge what is presented by bureaucrats and present options. They’re not just there to rubber-stamp.
Does 24/7 construction make sense? No. But Anderson has the ability to look outside of the box just as Cunningham and other councillors have done over the years.
But this isn’t the first time that Anderson and Cunningham have sparred, particularly because they have vast ideological differences over issues ranging from the homeless to climate change.
Obviously council members aren’t always going to be in lock-step, but the finger pointing and testiness isn’t constructive. And if anything, the theatrics could undermine the public’s confidence in city hall just as bickering has stained the House of Commons in Ottawa.
Some decorum is required.