THE PUBLIC’S RIGHT TO KNOW - WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT!!!!

Despite being aware, for some time, that all was not well with the progress of a large town building project, and that a national newspaper was sniffing out a story, you’d think someone at town hall would have recognized, very clearly, a public relations disaster was about to occur.

A pre-emptive media release, about a pending investigation, would have been a credible way of showing constituents here, town hall thinks we’re worth the effort, and can handle bad news. Jesus, I think we’re getting used to bad news these days. If we had been afforded some basic, re-assuring information that we should expect a full range of future inquiry, the angry community might have only been mildly pissed.......instead of wanting resignations and heads to roll.

While we members of the rank and file citizenry, clearly understand the legal issues surrounding the allegations, and all personnel, confidential matters at town hall, we also, as stunned as we apparently are in their opinion, can handle some information without imploding. Time and again we have to read about our town’s nuances courtesy someone else’s digging. While they probably have dozens of reasons why they didn’t think it important to re-assure us, they had the matter under control, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever, for council not to have insisted on issuing a press release to us prior to the first front-page jaw dropper last Thursday. Our press release came in the form of an investigative report published by the Toronto Star. Then again on Good Friday, and once more yesterday.

I was kind of hoping the town would have issued a press release to the Gravenhurst Banner, for today’s issue, as kind of state of the union address, to let us know what’s going on with our home town governance. While we can handle sensitive matters of allegations, and judicial inquiry, personnel matters etc., we can’t handle a lack of the most basic protocol between any town hall and its citizens. It is a huge sign of disrespect and one that will cause damage to relations far down the line. It is foolhardy to believe we’re mad cause we’re always constipated. We’re mad as hell because of the way we are generally ignored, when in fact we have a perfect right to know when our town is in crisis........because maybe, just possibly, we have the way and means to assist, as we always have, to work with, instead of against, the folks apparently in charge.

The fact we have to read about the welfare of our town in the press, without anything more than published answers to a reporter’s questioning, coming from our elected officials, means they are way behind where they should be at a time like this. They need media relations. They need to face up to constituents, not hide behind words like “investigation,” as being the reason we can’t be more forthright. We don’t want a media relations officer to spin stories but to help us understand all the implications of what is about to come......before we get the very next bit of enlightenment from the national press. If it irks them to have all this rampant speculation banging around in their community, filling their respective in-boxes, here’s an idea......give us what you can.....give us what will prepare us for what is about to happen.....and give us the assurance that we have a fully committed council, gung-ho to meet the upcoming challenges. Forgive us if we’re suspicious here.....but that’s what happens when information is choked at the source, on the mistaken belief, it will make things worse. Not true! It can’t get too much worse than at present. We’ve been trained to watch the press for our freedom of information. Apparently, this is the way it must be.

Sensing but not acting upon concerns that may have gone back a number of months, means to me, at least, that town hall either couldn’t care less about transparency, or felt that somehow they could “duck” and it would pass like a pound kidney stone. Or they could handle it all internally and we’d be spared the negative connotations. I can’t imagine a staffer or councillor not being aware of a reporter nosing-about. Even before this media foray, there was probably enough information to start a little pro-active, pre-meditated something or other, that would inform us of the Tsunami about to hit our shore. I think being partially informed is better than being uninformed. In this case, it would have cause unrest but most of us would have respected the honest attempt to spare us the shock of a front-pager for the nation to see. Even as an historian, I hate retrospective statements like....maybe we could have handled it better, or we didn’t think it would happen like this! We can be sensitive, proactive, compassionate and educators. We can be a particularly nasty group when we are treated with disrespect. There is a chance here, for council to come clean with us, about what they are doing to stabilize and correct the situation......or shall they continue to leave it to the media to work on their behalf.

So, if the Toronto Star had not raised allegations........most of us know that answer. It would have been handled internally!