A6 - Wednesday, November 28, 1984 - North Shore News Public business emocratic government requires that the public’s business be conducted, as far as possible, in public. North Van City council should take another look at the way it interprets that principle. Towards the end of each regular open meeting council presently retires behind clos- ed doors to discuss any confidential items on the agenda. Having thrashed such matters Out in private, council members return to the open meeting to ratify their decisions with formal ‘‘public’’ votes. Technically, of course, this is perfectly in order. Nine times out of ten, however, all or almost all the public---very understandably--- have by that time gone home to bed. As a result, important decisions are of- ficially recorded ‘‘in public’? without the public being present. A prime example was council’s recent endorsation of the City’s first ‘‘social escort’’ business, confirmed (over the sole opposing vote of Ald. Stella Jo Dean) before an empty public gallery after being dealt with in closed session. Since the matter obviously had no urgency in terms of the public interest, why was the formal vote not postponed until the following week’s open meeting, with the public there in fact, not merely in theory? Closed council meetings on personnel and land matters---where premature disclosure of details could damage individuals or open the way to unfair financial advantages---are ob- viously justified. But the public always has a right to witness the final vote being taken. In practice, the current procedure works against that right. It should be changed. In the slow lane he 55 mph (88km/h) U.S. speed limit has saved up to 77 lives and nearly $39 million in fuel costs per week since it was introduced 10 years ago, according to U.S. National Research Council statistics. The NRC found it has also meant drivers take longer to reach their destinations — an average total of eight minutes per week. To arrive 60 seconds late, alive and with money in your pocket, sounds a pretty strong argument in favor of the old motto ‘‘slow down and live’’! Cem vONLS Ge wOmTH srw weet vam: Diaptay Advertising 980-0511 north shore Classified Advertising 986-6222 news eax oes 289 a Circulation 986-1337 Subscriptions 985.2131 1139 Lonadale Ave . North Vancouver BC V/M 2H4 Publisinor brete Sec & Associate Publisher Operations Manayo: Veenboeret Cae atiars thee bathe Advertising Otrocto: eter peerings sy ne Circulation Dirod tos thr MA now Lalla to. Chitof Nuoert Woah Vteptay Advertising Managar Mike) mde! Penta Wow Otro a. hoot Classitieod Manayeo: thotogrphy Manay Viet a bergatverrieer Vesey Paster > Noth Shore News (node | Oe ee ret dere sabres Poa Or oe CC Oe CO SY Cc | Od we Pe be yo4 va ay age te ive ee A pete ted nen Fo Weeden hey ob on daey bet nee lens Pate abou bese Hoo sy ry te ee LS a ee rd e ta Chee eda Ma eg toate fd thee vA bartiveo GCosternts 1984 North Shore Froe Prose Lid All rtyhtes roeerved or] eT eR) Bae ee a . “ 1 ry MA, vate Ba 4 we Hones , Tr) peo wt yee + ogee PO et reap e Member of the BC Press Counclll ba SD TO cave vo ge Webi oe Fr Cea ta Pot hey A oy deny CS THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE Ulli, Uittliy ULES CD COLD "il ld» UD QE CZ ili ID ED CR vn. ZBULD LD tiie, Vo ANNOUNCED NEW «3 lis CB CLD CD CCL @ y “y LY, y; . Yj yy dp j, ip i \bernlax/oos BUDGET CUTS... Ug is No pastime for amateurs! OLITICS IS A TOUGH GAME these days. If there’s one thing guaranteed to make the adrenalin flow even faster than money and sex, It'S power. Admittedly, we've prog- ressed quite a bit from the earlier ages of democracy-- -when peasants voted as the squire Ordered, on pain of being evicted from thew rented hovels, and when candidates befuddled them with free beer as they show ed them where to mark their ¥ By comparison, the game today is played by the Queensbury Rules Survet Voter enuthe pation Hygenially conducted all candidate meetings with op ponents publicly hands HHawh cved scrutineers hovermg over the ballot boxes And, on feder al election days at feast, the hquor outlets sed Nevertheless, there remains oom for plenty of tamliative and ingenuity the pro clarmed hallmarks of a free CHLCEPLIse society That's why fo ocan't shaking closed work myself upoanta the same tine foaming Lather as cotleapuc Doug Coothas and Peustes Ross Regan over the Nocth Board cles tron fe wc Viator tye brersol focus They're outraged about ca the support given by teachers to the Citizens Association for Responsible Education (CARE). The counting over, CARE candidates, the sworn enemies of restraint, had swept the board---except for Ross himself, now the sole preacher of the gospel ac cording to St Bennett Collins, a stickter for ac cutate facts, claims the teachers poured up to $20,000 into the CARE campaign, swamping the shims financial resources of the bumbling, unorganized hardhiners almost tO oO one Noel Wright Worse still, the teachers even had the gall to run a Pisa Sui eee ae ere | contest called Voter Pursuit, demands As Collins warns. with prizes for those of ther it's reasonable to expect the Wk who talked the largest new North Van board will number of people into say yes to everything the voung the CARE tuket teachers want and blame Che And, horror) of Handsworth horrors, government for any principal Ray tion cduca cuts and layoffs that Williams actually hada become necessary CARE sign on tis tron That still doesat mean the lawn teachers flouted a single cles Heaven knows what otter tion rude There's ne faw behind seenes tricks the forbidding them toa be potie teachers played ote cle cally active They te not on trustees syinpathetie to thear cmipted trom the Charter of LETTER OF THE DAY Why cut HandyDart service? Loar bP abiten Phacids (date on. fou te ‘ fastvdedl trey Hs Poatisnet prey POS Fr atv prt hatin boor the chderty Peampacbas cngopre ed con anevertig cathaabybe ter teased tes probed Vratrasat bhocre j a crevertereel otyaege ter Me a tart oatoas as baset crue Pros esta cor aditeastadhy dif bas ade vite starred wry sue be oe ttal Nerv bee oat UPabs bs vetntatvate ed weber ced vine a ab pets prey vied iotses vet Yeah Numerous poeophe comut on North Stree We used ts. Pharndy (dart tee pet ter cede al Pras sen vase tater Vitec Ap proreer ere ats pobes avid three Gays a week trait thas has veered bt score tla thee cone how been cart bo bw Vy Waty tee pet court fave Sbreogoge Alt vercrgeby hen fers ECO Op OES Viigo atttad over bad castes Dave, Ubyaa Caer etguransd 7O poreoger ann ts Maa y thet ate beet refers very bencficrab and cab asa Cre ee foruy oof physrotherapy Necett Svtyore Ptaneds (art tias No bE BD bas had to rule aia mveurteer yatfic tent cebae bes oe sexual onstinp oad can one Staff os, We cottartye rebate bye lomrgeet Tranispmonrt oC brents te Kiowa need Orn weekoerds ibeear Vere ath prercody bree amas ne Cvcsrteapes arsed Doda s there a rve edhe al Crepes tarbe gertertaty fave road y reve se Vane be fave tne ened thet fow ovehite tes bas crttres Rights merely because they want more than the taxpayer can afford. And they're legally free, hike all of us, to use their money as_ they wish. Trustee Regan'’s argument that it was ‘‘totally unethical’? of them to in- fluence the election of their employers 1s, with respect, poppycock With the same night of persuasion and the same vote as everyone else, why not use both to choose a nice boss? Wouldn't vou, given a similar opportunity? Any blame for the tact that the North Van School Board will be run for the next year or two by the teachers, instead of the other way tound, doesn’t belong to the teachers It belongs to the disciples of restraint for allowing themselves to be arganized, manocuvred, out oul Out spent and roundly defeated by a vastly more Competent adversary It they want to change things an I98S or 1986, they'd better start planning, fundraising and = studying professional tight away clectioneccring Pohtwal campaigns today ate a dot more retined than ws othe ocighteenth centary But they re stall oe pastiuue for amatoues words tia bent were to go ts Lorcrars Coate Pbeosportad for the rreot conndy ceoubel Char Phand y bart Deansprort bur MNP toot the bill for that parson > Nguasts¢ parser wane woessbel therapy Phesus all very Confusing | a special needs person wh. meoeds Chis service Pdiorw oa th « Piatsnt justify rebut such oa vetal sctvice? Sheila Crrecabes, West Vancouver