Last week’s committee-of-the-whole meeting had all the elements of great political drama: anger, shock, disillusionment, betrayal.
City of Powell River councillors let loose their feelings about Mayor Stewart Alsgard’s plan to bring forward a motion to seek elector assent for co-treatment. They said they were outraged because he didn’t consult with them first before he made his intention public. They felt manipulated by a political manoeuvre to gain votes. Councillor Dave Formosa, who said he loved Alsgard and looked up to him like a father, declared at the meeting that his heart was broken.
Alsgard had explained that he was going to bring forward a motion to seek elector assent for co-treatment to give a voice to the people. He cited the small number of people who attended public consultation events, vocal and strong opposition to the proposal, and the importance of public consultation in the liquid waste management plan process as his reasons.
Councillors didn’t buy it. One by one, they stripped the veil away from his gambit and exposed it as a tactic to gain votes.
Some political observers may think councillors overreacted to Alsgard’s ploy. Here is a man who has been mayor for 12 years. He has already declared his intention of running for the fifth time. While he didn’t know who his challengers would be, he certainly could expect a few candidates would run against him. As well, he has probably heard the rumblings in the community that it is time for a change.
Co-treatment has been a divisive issue in the community and many people have called for a referendum on it, whether or not the city is required to seek elector assent. The calls for a vote became louder after council voted to pursue co-treatment after its own public consultation process documented overwhelming opposition to it.
Alsgard saw an opportunity in the co-treatment issue to curry favour with electors by giving them an opportunity to vote on the issue. He stepped out on his own and presented himself as the champion of the people, but he alienated his council along the way.
This council, comprised of people who held elected office for the first time, prides itself on working as a team. They have stuck together on co-treatment, even as vocal and organized opposition grew. Alsgard’s move has made change inevitable though. The team will no longer be together after November 19.
Alsgard has taken a calculated risk, by making a decision on his own without the support of the team. The team’s reaction and Alsgard’s explanation will be fresh in voters’ minds when they cast their ballots in November.
