Discussions on keeping council members “in the loop” on Mayor Silas White’s advocacy activities were committed to during the July 4 regular council meeting.
That followed Coun. David Croal statement that he felt “like an idiot” when contacted by community members after the mayor’s May 30 letter to the province advocating for action to help address the regional water crisis went public. Croal said he was not privy to the letter’s contents or that sending such correspondence on behalf of council and the community had been planned. While he said he had “no objections” to the sending of the letter or the positions expressed in it, his concern was that council had not been made aware of what was being done in advance.
In his written activity report on the meeting’s agenda, White noted that media interest in the letter “snowballed” receiving local, regional and national coverage. That “considerably helps the advocacy” his report stated. It also detailed that in addition to raising awareness about “summer water anxiety on the Sunshine Coast," the effort garnered “a very positive response from the Minister of Forests on June 26” about the expedition of the permits and approvals for regional water supply initiatives.
White stated that the document was accessible to councillors in the correspondence file that is regularly shared with council. The letter was also posted on the town’s website on May 31. The mayor did not disagree with Croal’s view that “it might have been better” to let councillors know about the correspondence before it was sent.
Under BC’s Community Charter the mayor is the head and chief executive officer of the municipality and has the responsibility to provide council leadership and to carry out other duties on behalf of the council. White said such duties can include being a media spokesperson for council.
A suggestion from Coun. Stafford Lumley was to have a discussion to develop a clear town policy on which individuals are authorized to make statements on behalf of council to the media.
