Time for a fresh start with greater transparency

Dear editor,

In the recent elections, many candidates cited a need for greater transparency, in other words, a need for the elected bodies to give more information, and to operate with more of the conduct of their business visible to the public. Transparent operation also means the public can see which councilors or trustees are in support of a decision and which are opposed to it. If we can’t observe an elected representative in action or hear what his or her views about a decision are, how are we to determine whether he or she is making the best choices for us?

It is essential that councilors and board members be able to express their opinions freely, both before and after decisions are made, even if those opinions are in opposition to the majority. In this regard, the Medicine Hat Public School Board must do two things immediately to increase the transparency of its operations.

First, the board must follow its own policy: Policy 206.2: Meetings of the Committee of the Whole, and, as the policy states: meet behind closed doors “from time to time,” not for two or three hours before every public meeting. A review of board minutes can confirm this has been routine for the past several years.

Second, the board must rescind Item 4 in Policy 202.1: Trustee Code of Conduct which prevents Trustees from expressing opinions in opposition to the majority of the Board. Item 4 keeps the public from being informed about support and opposition to Board decisions that is essential to public scrutiny of Trustees.

It is time for a fresh start with greater transparency.

Michael Seitz Medicine Hat