Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
We dont need more time. The people who hammered this out have spent thousands of hours on it. John Q. Taxpayer are going to have to let the people we elected to represent us make a goddamned decision.
I'm getting sick of 'Public Consultation.'
If the people elected to represent us cant make a decision on behalf of the people they represent then what is the point in having them?
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I dunno, city council is one of the rare democratic institutions remaining where the process of "debate" can actually influence the decision of a council member. I'm not one to broadly disparage city council members (at least not on the number of hours they put it) - I don't think it's a stretch to say that most members of council not directly involved in the negotiation are going to be sufficiently versed in the details of this project to make an informed decision after one meeting, with 6 days to review documents and a few hours to review constituent feedback (yes, it's fun to crap on whiny NIMBY 'consultation', but it can be the only way to force parties to address inconvenient issues).
Through a prolonged and contentious negotiation like this, it seems like a near certainty that there are going to be a number of key details that were overlooked (either intentionally or not) in the interest of reaching agreement on the biggest components. IMO, until a deal is signed the city holds ~97% of the leverage, so now is the better time to iron out those final details than after we've signed a cheque.
For instance, the community arena seems to be one of the bigger 'public good' aspects of this project...to me, a prudent councillor would demand greater certainty on it for a yes vote (and probably a few other things to). If the Flames are incapable of making a few final concessions or withstanding another 6-8 week delay, then I'm not sure I want to partner with them in the first place.
I have faith in CMLC to do a good job here, but I'm afraid I don't share that optimism when it comes to CSEC.
What we're talking about here is akin to spending an extra hour and being prepared to stand up and walk while grinding out the final details of a new vehicle purchase. The parties have pretty much nailed down the make, model, colour, trim, financing, and are super close on the final purchase price, but now is the time to get a bunch of free oil changes/car washes and a few accessories thrown in while holding firm against the last-minute fees the dealer hadn't mentioned until this late stage. Hell, consultation delay should be considered a good tactic at this point "listen, if you throw in the trailer hitch and roof rack at ____ price we've got a deal, otherwise I'm not actually sure my wife is keen on red, so I'd better wait and talk it over with my wife when she gets back from visiting her mother next week". Not sure why y'all are so keen to sign on the dotted line without really reading any fine print and after sending your partner the equivalent of a text saying: