Councillor ducking duty to cavort with penguins
If Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart is so keen on the company of penguins, she could visit the Calgary Zoo.
They feature the Penguin Plunge and the Penguin Walk. Five minutes from City Hall.
But the councillor prefers Antarctica to “spend time with the penguins and icebergs.” The cheery travel news comes only five weeks after a civic election campaign in which her plans weren’t mentioned.
The trip means she’ll miss crucial council meetings dealing with the most difficult budget the city has faced since the financial crash of 2008-09.
There’s a $170-million revenue hole in this budget. It’s a juggling act with nothing but stink bombs in the air — cuts, taxes, spending from reserves.
A city councillor since 2000, Colley-Urquhart has won seven elections.
During the first race she said: “I am not a career politician. If elected, I will serve two terms, then get out so there can be fresh leadership.” That promise was broken five terms ago. Today, Colley-Urquhart is the very model of a career politician.
She also told the Herald, just before that win in 2000, ‘’I love wrestling issues right to the ground. I love getting people to the table.’’
Now there’s a massive issue to wrestle, and she’s not at the table.
Her long service means she’s very familiar with budgets.
This could be a help to other councillors, especially the new ones. But that experience is somewhere on the Southern Ocean.
Although councillors have no set holiday time or limit, there is a convention that most time off is taken in August, when council is adjourned. Post-election disappearances are extremely rare.
Colley-Urquhart’s absence was first noticed Nov. 13, but other council members weren’t aware that she’d gone anywhere. On Nov. 14, her staff didn’t appear to know where she was.
She sent a memo to the mayor and other councillors Nov. 17. It sounds like her travel agent wrote it.
“After flying into Buenos Aires and exploring the city, I will embark on an educational expedition voyage on a ship deep into the Antarctic to spend time with the penguins and icebergs …
“While I don’t venture off to many conferences or trips this venture has been planned for a long time and will be a life changing experience for me.
“When I am in Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, I will tip one for each of you and think of you … I will gain insight into global warming — perhaps!”
Diplomacy has never been one of Colley-Urquhart’s strengths. Offering to hoist a glass to colleagues, when you’re away and they’re working, doesn’t usually bring bursts of applause.
These popular Antarctic expeditions are booked many months in advance. The councillor says her trip has been a long time in the planning.
But that raises the awkward question — why didn’t she say during the campaign that she’d be away during budget talks?
One impact of her absence was to rob rookie councillor Jeromy Farkas of the co-signer for his motion to call a pause in bus rapid transit. Councillors were startled when Colley-Urquhart didn’t turn up to second or debate a motion she had formally supported.
She has done good things over the years. In February, she backed female police officers in their workplace harassment claims, meeting with them and going public with her findings.
She faced severe disapproval from council and the police commission. But that was her whole point — the problems were so buried in secrecy that nothing was happening. She helped blow down the doors.
Now Colley-Urquhart seems to be asking council to approve a motion to excuse her absence.
Councillors might agree, but the public probably wouldn’t. There’s very little tolerance for politicians who seem to be slacking off.
The larger question is: What happened to Diane Colley-Urquhart? Maybe one victory too many.