NY. Confrontational council needs referee to enforce rules THE FOLLOWING summary analysis of North Vancouver District Council’s record over the past term was.compiled and writ- ten by North Shore News district council reporter Martin Miller- chip. 7 lt is hard to refiect on the three-year term of this. council without flinching at the memory of ‘long meetings, procedural pit- falls and bitter infighting. Yet. despite the rhetoric, posturing’ and _ plain ill-temper, some of council’s achievements ‘ate truly laudable. - ACHIEVEMENTS: -. Initiatives in parks, daycare, neighborhood... planning © and multiculturalism are a commend- "able legacy. .._. The “district now has an: En- “Mironmental Protection Policy that ‘is being copied. by other “municipalities. ‘ ‘Block Watch’ and the more re- ent Lynn: Canyon Park ‘Rangers rograms are proven successes. ‘The Northlands golf course has -been, Stickhandled through to the ‘ point of construction, ‘And;, despite. a doubling of. al- - . towable. : expenses for council -"members, councii.wage hikes have “i yemnained at or below infiation: “FAILURES: * - The. height. and “bulk. -of '.50- called’ “monster ; -homes” in’ the Jo district remain essentially the same ‘after three years of grappling with “the problem: wc There has. been ..no effective - focusing of the opposition to wae . Buchols and Joan Gadsby. NORTH VANCOUVER DISTRICT COUNCIL by Martin Millerchip tershed logging. Municipal taxes have climbed upward faster in the district than the city, while areas like East Seymour and Deep Cove continue to demand an increased share of recreational sevices. Long-range planning objectives lag about two years behind their target. However, the successes would perhaps outweigh the thornier issues if council had succeeded in maintaining the reputation for ef- ficiency established by former district mayor Marilyn Baker. LEADERSHIP: The fact that council has not had leadership must, in large part, be attributed to the navigation of Mayor Murray Dykeman. Perhaps it would have been . beyond the. powers of Solomon himself to keep the peace between bitter political combatants like ‘councillors Ernie Crist and Paul Turner, and between the mutually antagonistic counciliors Rick But when three of the four (Buchols has remained loyal to the -Dykeman team) also'tee off con- sistently on Dykeman one has to ask why. Dykeman prefers consensus to confrontation, which is an ad- mirable ambition. lems with ‘council led But if the kids in the ring want to fight, a referee who knows the rules and can enforce them is re- quired. ; Dykeman has consistently dem- onstrated that he is unable to fecus discussion or control heated debate. His inability to think quickly. and act decisively often finds him demanding, rather than earning, respect for the mayoral chain he always wears. Problems ‘with process, prob- Management desire for more public access to to an independent Teview of council and corporation practices early in the term. ADMINISTRATION: The Cuff Report created’ the ‘present standing committee system which has created better and more informal public participation in council. But four councillors have in- dependently and voluntarily con- fided that the opportunity to critically re-evaluate senior management. was lost when Dykeman emphatically embraced the status quo behind closed doors. It is difficult evaluate the administration of the district since only the tip of the iceberg appears in council. But complaints of information and reports being held back from council have surfaced on and off. the record throughout the present term. ; See Tax page 9 and a‘ to objectively . Sunday, November 14, 1983 - North Shore News - 3 NVD MAYCR ‘Murray Dykeman: himself to keep the peace? ‘controls controversy, conflict THE: “FOLLOWING summary “analysis of West Vancouver District Council’s record over ‘the past term was compiled. and , writ- “by North Shore ‘News: council eporter Maureen Curtis. 3 From a reporter's point of, view, it’ Has ‘been’ a pretty’ dull: three - years covering-..West™. Vancouver District Council... ro “It’s difficult’ to -produce riveting copy. from. meetings “ that’. are characterized. by.*:polite’ submis- “sions - from “mildly annoyed resi- ‘dents fo councillors who get along “With each: other - ~— at least on the surface. : ; ; dn previous terms, controversial -issues'such as the’ residential: de- velopment:at 320 Taylor: Way and - “the proposed Cypress Ridge golf course filled the-council chambers ‘to capacity with opposing factions of residents. : . Tensions. were high. between ‘council’ and ‘the. public and be- tween, the former mayor and a ‘councillor. who challenged ‘the status quo. i West” ‘Vancouverites, for most . part, found | these altercations outrageous: and em- barrassing. the READERS" VOICE 983-2208 testy “WEST VANCOUVER. _ DISTRICT COUNCIL ‘by Maureen Curtis Consistent. with mayoralty can- . didaté Mark Sager’s. promise ‘three ‘years ago to run a ‘“‘non-adver- sarial”? municipal! government, the mood at current council meetings is mild and accommodating, and most meetings proceed in an - orderly fashion. ; {Is this a. “strong mayor and a “weak council’? as some have sug- gested? .Although Sager has a firm hand on the reins of government, his leadership style is consultative and accommodating. Council members are intelligent, independent folk whe enjoy debate and then push for consen- sus. There is a balance to- be achieved between healthy public debate and tiresome political posturing that only prolongs the process for people who are waiting fora decision on an issue. When council meetings are dominated by conflict and person- ality clashes, municipal matters get short shrift. West - Vancouver councillors usually consult with and support municipal: staff and follow their advice more often than do. other councils. To achieve another of his inau- gural goals, Sager has shortened council meetings by attempting to identify problem issues and ‘‘head them off at the pass’? with in- vestigation and mediation. increasingly, resolution of neighborhood conflicts occurs in living rooms rather than in council chambers, with counciliors making themselves available as facilitators. The present ‘council is not as willing to allow single issues and endless public submissions to dominate and prolong a meeting, except when it thinks it is ap- propriate. Generally, council members seem.to have done their ‘“thomework’’ on issues that arise, but while some are ready to vote, others prefer to defer to a statf report — and perhaps a quieter meeting. Under the watchfulness Coun. Ron Wood, West of Van- Are happy with your present municipal council? Jil North Vancouver City All of the propaganda I’ve received in the mail regarding the election comes from North Vancouver District. If the city is not going to send me any infor- mation, how on earth am I going to know who to vote for? Pat North Vancouver City I’m not happy with the municipal council. Again they are giving away parking spaces which is much needed by mer- chants on Lower Lonsdale. [’m quite upset with that. couver appears to be running a tight financial ship, with plenty of council representation on the Greater Vancouver District, which has been singled out by West Vancouver as being increasingly to blame for higher taxes. Except for the library expansion and museum/archives develop- ment, which were partially funded by public contributions, council - has kept its capital expenditures and’ budget increases low - and worked on new bylaws such as the bulk-housing legislation champi- oned by Coun, Rod Day and the blasting/soil removal bylaws spearheaded by councillors Don Griffiths and Andy Danyliu. Never allowed to forget the results of the unfortunate’ 15- year-old Caulfeild Land: Use Contract, which has resulted in controversial mountainside devel- . opment, council has called for the creation of ‘‘open. space”? amend- ments to the Official Community. Pian that are intended to protect natural features such as creeks during development ‘above the See Burning bylaw page 19 Regional. ievements, failures and the future ly ' o “raphe Camaren Bird” beyond the powers of Solomon : index @ Business’. ‘Wi Classified ‘Ads . sees Cocktails & Caviar. bl Comics. . “Horoscopes cae @ Bob riche ce 43 . 12: Ss Municipal Affairs . 10, News of the Weird... a4 @ Travel .. 2 Vintage Years .... 8 What's Going On... Weather Monday, rain, high. 10°C, fow 6. Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement Number 0087238 TO PROVIDE North Shore voters with more input into the cam- paign leading up to the Nov. 20 municipal election, the North Shore News’ election coverage will focus on your opinions and -concerns, You can only cast one vote, but you can express yourself every day by dialling 983-2208. Marsali North Vancouver City 1 want to see people get on counci} who listen to the people, listen to the citizens and are prepared to act on what they hear. I want them to walk the talk, not just talk it. John North Vancouver City I think we could do with a change. I think we need to do some streamlining in the city. We've had those old names ‘co long. THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: _ Are you happy with your present municipal council?