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WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNE$DAY, AUGUST 17,1988, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN HE OTHER SIDEI of the FENCE By Doug Anderson coming dear . RATEPAYER REPRESENTATION What Whitby lacks most in its municipal government process is an effective ratepayer system. Although groups have developed around particular issues, they have faded as soon as those issues have been resolved. Not that their leaders didn't realize the desirability of keeping them alive but the enthusiasm in the rank and file quickly waned. The dominant attitude in this community as in most is:W "You can't fight city hall." - an attitude towards government found throughout the Western world which will be, if it isn't already, the death knell of democracy. Democracy is based on the premise that the people are the government, but only by people exercising their rights does democracy work. Ratepayers groups if well run are a forum for debate and communication on municipal matters. They can provide the input that will make the governing process more responsive and if politicians constantly ignore that input, they do so at their own peril come election time. Needless to say a broadly based ratepayers group would greatly restrict the flexibility that our politicians currently enjoy but almost always for the better. Such groups keep politicians on their toes - they have to do their homework. To Whitby's current crop of councillors, an active ratepayers group would be a real problem. They are not used to sharing responsibility in the decision process. Agendas and information are routinely withheld from the public and even the press gets little advance information. Decisions are frequently made behind closed doors and on very narrow bases of information. Input from Joe Citizen is only solicited where required by the letter of the law and although council listens they are far more inclined to justify their own position than listen to yours. The style of politics in Whitby has little room for citizen participation. In the eyes of Town Council, once every three years is ample opportunity for citizens' input. The recent decision of council to not redefine ward boundaries for more even representation is a clear indication that they don't see themselves as representatives - the number in their wards is irrelevant to them. They prefer to think of themselves as governing us. Besides, they don't want too many new faces - it might upset the balance of power. When a poor frustrated citizen comes up against the municipal bureacracy, whether it's to get a building permit for a patio deck or to get the sidewalks shovelled, councillors magnanimously pull away the red tape to leave you forever grateful. Of course they created the red tape to begin with, and those bureaucrats who were so exasperating (who, just incidentally, are paid with your tax money) are supervised by town council. The alternate style of municipal government is one in which citizen groups are kept informed of all aspects of government and are consulted regularly. The ratepayer WHITBY CANADIAN PACIFIC BAILWAY STATION, LOOKING EAST, C. 1915 movement in Toronto in the 1970's resulted in one of the best The Whitby station of the Canadian Pacific Railway was located east of the Brock Street examples anywhere of responsible government. It arose out of North Crossing. It was built in 1913, closed in 1971 and demolished in 1977. The crossing very similar conditions as what Whitby has now - rapid was replaced by a bridge over Brock Street in 1978/79. growth, development pressure and closed-door politics. The Whitby Archivesphoto acquiescence of Toronto council to block-busting developers in 1 MYA R A the St. James' Town area has its parallels on a smaller scale fo h ensaAgs 6 98eiino h here in Whitby.WHTYFE PRS Toronto ratepayers banded together out of a sense of frustration and anger and put forward their own candidates. PeichtanpsietothLierrtTtrshirro Witystitw, By the early seventies they had become the dominant force in Flkrh utii iiigorcmuiy Toronto politics and had succeeded in electing David Crombie *Aseilehbto h nai roptlSho fNrigi en eda h yd as mayor. In the cyclical nature of politics, as the frustrationsHosMuem were dealt with, the anger subsided and the influence of *Adcso ngatn notorptolcnet h oa oe sepce on specific repayers groups has waned. But firmly established is i olihi h e aiiismnae o h htyRceto eatet the principle that major changes in any area of the commu- nity are preceded by intensive public consultation. 25.A G The kind of politician that is spawned by a ratepayers'frmteT rsyAgt1,193dionfth revoit is a very different animal than what Whitby is used to. WIB EKYNW Consultation is the root of their strength. The ability to listen and negotiate are their greatest assets. Knowledge and *Sft qimn a enisalda htyhro olwn rwigi ue information are shared with their constituents.*WhtysnwdwtnstetigtarfauednanOaioH ropbcto. The failure to establish an effective ratepayer systemn in *Dnl icelo htyhsbe wre 350b eea oosfrasgeto Whitby is due in part to council's derisive attitude whichreadnweiginteruksconfcr. discourages all but the thickest skinned. As a result, the *McalSar PadD.MthwDmnMPaehsigapci tSisCae public controversies of the last several eashvcnteonPrnarBokionAg17 people who, while good at rallying the masses and hurling 100 YEARS AGO invective against the status quo, have lacked the leadership from the Friday, August 17* 1888 edition ofthe for the longer trek through a mire of more mundane issues. WHITBY CHRONICLE Two years ago there was an attempt to bring together some of these people into something which was variously The Canadian Pacific Railway is lengthening a siding at Myrtie Station to alIowvmore referred to as the "shadow cabinet" or "citizens' coalition" but room for grain cars. it, like all previous attempts, fizzled for lack of effective As many as 60 people are camping at Corbett's Point this week. leadership. The Chronicle wants something done about fakirs who come inta Whitby ta cheat our And so we embark on another municipal election citizens in games of chance. campaign where every candidate stands on his own, each one There is some grumbling because only Scotsmen were allowed to compete in the promising (among other things) good, honest government. Caledonian Gaies in Whitby on August 13. The question we should ask them is how they propose to represent us. _____________________________________________