THE NEW Terrace city council sworn in Monday night may be the first one in years where residents might expect more lively debate in city governance.
Newcomers social worker Stacey Tyers and businessman James Cordeiro staked out independent lines of thought during the campaign. Marylin Davies, returning after a three-year absence, is well-known for having a sharp tongue.
It’ll be interesting to see how or if alliances develop. Tyers and poll-topping councillor Bruce Bidgood, for example, both have social services backgrounds and are both left-learners. But Tyers was highly skeptical of any move to use tax money for the purchase of Shames Mountain while Bidgood vigorously backed a motion to turn over $200,000.
It usually takes a crisis to test the ability of a group to work together and this new council has one already – the request by the Terrace Public Library for more money.
The issue so far is being framed as one of fairness – if the city is able to provide wages to its own employees, why cannot it do the same for the library’s employees.
Ironically, city councillors, as candidates during the election, fell all over themselves in support of the library so it’ll be fascinating to see how those political statements match up to the city’s financial picture.
Of course, it’s all about using tax monies wisely and that’s the ultimate test for a councillor, rookie or not.