Kelowna city council rejects proposed code of conduct | 24CA News
Kelowna metropolis council voted in opposition to a proposed code of conduct on Monday, June 5, one that might alter the best way it interacts with the general public and media.
During the assembly, issues relating to transparency have been raised by councilors, leading to a vote to have the proposal despatched again to employees for modifications.
One of the details of rivalry within the proposed code appears on the means council communicates with each the general public and the media.
“In an effort to promote respect and integrity for council decision-making, council members will accurately communicate the decision of the council, even if they disagree with the majority decision of council,” states the code.
Mayor Tom Dyas says this could assist council perceive that the mayor is “always the voice of council initially, depending on the situation,” including that it’ll nonetheless permit councilors to have their voice.
“Some of the concerns with regards to what (council members) were able to communicate and what they were unable to communicate; prior to a meeting what they were able to communicate and after a meeting what they were able to communicate. That was the purpose of the code of conduct,” stated Dyas.
Governance marketing consultant Norah Bowman says with this code it seems councilors are being requested to talk precisely concerning the work and selections of metropolis council.
“It looks as if a city councilor or mayor could describe a decision taken, explain the reasons it was voted for or against by city councilors and mayor, and then they could express their disagreement with it and their objection to it,” stated Bowman.
During Monday’s council assembly, members famous they need to be sure that values like transparency and honesty must be upheld in any new coverage.
“I know how important it is to get your message out, and the people who voted for you want to hear where you stand ethically, morally. They want to know what your political position is. It’s very important to speak up, without going against the grain of council,” stated metropolis councilor Mohini Singh.
“Last term, there was an issue in the media regarding a young person that had been abused, and no one on council had spoken to the media. There was a public outcry about it because people expect their leaders to have a position to support the community,” stated metropolis councillor Loyal Wooldridge.
No date has been set for when council will meet once more to debate the amended code of conduct.
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