The Mayor Here, there and everywhere

For those who desire to study all the elements of municipal government, there is interesting reading on the official minute’s front from City Council for the first session of the year in mid January.

While most likely a clerical error upon production, city staff has found a way to make sure that the Mayor could truly multi task, by apparently being in two places at once and missing from one meeting, while in attendance at the other one held during the same council session.

In the minutes posted on the city website, the Mayor is listed as present for the regular city council meeting of the day (incorrectly banishing Councillor Thorkelson from the nights events), but listing the Mayor as absent from the public hearing portion of the nights events.

The minutes for the regular city council meeting of January 14, 2008

And

The minutes for the public hearing held on the same night.

On the special session of council held on January 23rd, the Mayor is listed in the minutes as having participated “electronically”, perhaps by phone, maybe by e mail, regardless it would seem that an actual presence in the building that week wasn’t in the cards.

In his comments at the January 28th session, the Mayor thanked councillors Briglio and Cote for chairing the two meetings keeping the process of municipal debate running.

As we suspect, the matter of the official record is probably just a clerical discrepancy that will surely be corrected in short order. But it could be that perfect solution for all of us to keeping a perfect record of attendance, suitable for use in more than a municipal setting, if so desired.

A typo here, a typo there and it’s as if you never missed a meeting, a class or a day of work!