City council members: in their own words

Published Saturday May 30th, 2009
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In this survey, council members were asked two questions. What, in your view, is council's biggest accomplishment in year one? What is your biggest disappointment in council in year one? Here are their answers.

COUN. PATTY HIGGINS Biggest accomplishment in year one? Focus on priority neighbourhoods. We're making great effort to help support the initiatives that our priority neighbourhoods are heading towards. I have two disappointments. I'm finding it hard to get my point across to fellow members of council. I'd like to focus on solutions that have been tested and found to be effective in other municipalities. I was disappointed in the budget process as well. We spread our resources too thinly to too many areas which will end up being less effective than more resources in certain areas.

COUN. BILL FARREN I believe this council's biggest accomplishment would have to be the effort, and solidarity, we've had in obtaining safe, clean drinking water for Saint John. I believe my biggest disappointment of this council would have to be not conducting a public inquiry into the civic pension plan deficit which I believe will end up being this, and future council's, biggest millstone. It will prevent recreational and other infrastructure improvements that are needed for our city's future growth.

COUN. DONNIE SNOOK Our biggest accomplishment is the action council has taken on our city's vulnerable neighbourhoods - pushing for a new by-law to deal with vacant/derelict buildings; advocating for the implementation of safer communities and neighbourhood legislation in order to address areas experiencing chronic crime; and a reinvestment in our community centers and neighbourhood park infrastructure. My greatest disappointment is the length of time it is taking to create a greater level of efficiency with regard to customer service delivery outcomes.

COUN. CARL KILLEN Our greatest accomplishment is a general one: having managed to move ahead with persistence on the major items we identified as council's priorities. Our accomplishments have been many. My greatest disappointment would be our inability to convince the Greater Saint John region of the need for a greater regionalization of services.

COUN. GARY SULLIVAN Controlling the debate on Long Wharf, rallying around clean, safe drinking water, and getting recreation back as a priority are the biggest accomplishments. Lack of strategic planning is a disappointment. We had a great priority setting session but have had no follow up.

COUN. BRUCE COURT Staying united to push water as our number one priority is our biggest accomplishment. My biggest disappointment in council as a whole is when a councillor speaks out against what we're trying to do as a body and takes his own individual stand. I'm talking about Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase.

COUN. JOE MOTT What I see as the biggest accomplishment is the fact that Irving Oil is going to expand and build a new refinery and LNG project out at Red Head. It's giving people in the area a much more positive attitude toward Saint John, and we're looking at things we can do because we can see our tax base is going to increase. My biggest disappointment would probably be Exhibition Park Raceway. We're one of the only tracks in the Maritimes that doesn't have a grand stand, and the facility we have right now is just a small room. Not a lot's happening on the file, and that's what disappoints me.

COUN. PETER MCGUIRE Top one, I think we've done a very good job at identifying and communicating to the other two levels of government that our number one priority is clean, safe drinking water. Part B of that is seeing the Westfield Road obtain additional funding. My biggest disappointment? Not enough focus on the economic growth in Saint John. I don't think we spend enough time on growing the city economically. A good example in my ward is bringing Enterprise Saint John into the retail world over there. The outcome is the retail forum held Thursday night.

COUN. CHRIS TITUS Did not reply to several messages.

DEPUTY MAYOR STEPHEN CHASE Two of the biggest accomplishments are issues we're just dealing with now: engagement of Morneau Sobeco to reform the pension plan, and the other one is the value for money audit. We're only just getting into the meat of it, so there's been no hard results yet. My biggest disappointment, is that it takes so long to make progress. We passed both those items in January, but here we are six months into the year, we're only getting started. That's a product of bureaucracy, unfortunately. I also wish there was a greater recognition from our employee groups that substantive changes are needed. Shelving of the Jean-Guy Finn by the province was disappointing because it would have enabled more extensive regional cooperation.

MAYOR IVAN COURT Listen, I've got no comment. I don't want to comment on anything. I have a strange feeling you guys are going to change a good story into a bad story because I saw the second question and, you know what, we've done some great things, and that's all I'm going to say. I don't want to see what I saw in the past, and I think you guys are going about this good-guy, bad-guy type of thing, one good question, one bad question. I don't think that's fair to this council or to anybody else. My comment is no comment.

 

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Comments (15)

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Good answer Mr. Mayor. You're a real leader. Your brother is showing tremendous leadership as well with that passive aggressive statement. Mr. Killen provides a non answer. Overall a fairly inconsistent message from council, indicating not much cohesion in their thinking. Perhaps another strategic planning session would work. Lock them in a room and let them work it out.
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owen meaney, rothesay on 30/05/09 07:20:50 AM AST
Great leadership Ivan! You and your brother are a real pair.
I've been a homeowner in Millidgeville for over 25 years but I've got to say...given $28 million police palaces and Cadillac pension plans that are 146 million in the hole.... Rothesay is looking better and better!
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Port City, Saint John on 30/05/09 08:44:04 AM AST
hahaha!

i have dropped my standards and not expect to see leadership from the 'King of the Courts' but not to show common sense, and civility.. come on. set an example, boys.

one word. impeachment.
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sick in the city , saint john on 30/05/09 09:04:53 AM AST
Bruce Court's response is sad. He's disappointed that councilors aren't all following his brother and city management on every issue.

Hopefully Ivan learns the best way to say "no comment" is to say "no comment."
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UrbanPlans.blogspot.com , Saint John on 30/05/09 09:59:30 AM AST
I see brothers dumb and dumber are at it again.

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John M., Saint John on 30/05/09 10:29:57 AM AST
this is just pathetic. SJ hasn't a chance with the bozo Mayor and some of the clowns that follow.
Without fixing the pension plan problem that is diving deeper in the hole by the minute..nothing else will matter because we'll be bankrupt or people will just leave because they'll tax us all to personal bankrupcy!
I'm not a huge fan of Stephen Chase but he's looking better and better every day.
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l. S, Saint John on 30/05/09 10:49:55 AM AST
These comments make my blood boil! The citizens of Saint John can not afford another 3 years of these 2 Court clowns. Shame on anyone who voted for them. The current situation clearly indicates that impeachment/recall should be an option.
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Hank Peters, Saint John on 30/05/09 10:54:47 AM AST
What a couple of babies those Courts are. They really show poor leadership and the sooner they are gone from council the better off Saint John will be.
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D Murray, Rothesay on 30/05/09 11:28:08 AM AST
The Wit brothers Mayor Nit and his brother Councilor Half are at it again.

Steve Chase seems to have had his say on Posh Peal Plaza (Peal Plaza sounds like a strip joint no it'd pay taxes). Time to find a new photo op.

Cris Titus is too busy running the city with Terry T. from Rockey's to be bothered with taxpayers opinion.

Peter McGuire "very good job at identifying and communicating to the other two levels of government that our number one priority is clean, safe drinking water" does he even live in the same city as the rest of us?

Killen a shorter way to say the same thing "Duh?"

Joe Mott Is that an announcement? Here I thought these items were being evaluated and decided upon by the proponents.

Sullivan,Snook and Higgins (or Larry, Moe and Curly) at least didn't trot out the old "we lowered taxes" routine.

Farren Progress on clean water? from what I've read I don't think city management could get the cap off a bottle of water.

A year...wow...seems like ten.
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d g, saint john on 30/05/09 11:50:28 AM AST
Cnclrs Snook,Higgins,Mott & Sullivan are struggling along trying to do the right thing joining cnclr Farren who has been taking the abuse from the people who work for him since John Ferguson left.The year-old conclrs have been subjected to bullying (watch Titus and his baby bro McGuire & Totten in action against these guys) & misleading, inaccurate, incomplete & inconsistent information & blame from the people who are supposed to be supporting, educating & knowledgeably advising them on city matters-snr city staff.The deputy seems to want to do the right thing most of the time, but stops short just before the action takes place. Killen is a blast of hot air & the Court brothers are two more puppets being made fools of by the city mgr in their blind support of he & his cronies.The bully Titus is still hiding behind that locked door. We need to contact, support & educate the cnclrs who want to represent us & grow our city, while still holding them accountable for the actions of snr mgmt.
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trust is earned, Saint John on 30/05/09 12:42:00 PM AST
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