By ROY WOOD
Sparked in part by a dismal turnout of stakeholders at a recent open house on downtown Osoyoos revitalization, a pair of councillors on Monday expressed disappointment at the level of community involvement in the town.
During the “Councillors’ Reports” section of the agenda, Jim King said: “I attended the open house for the revitalization of downtown. It was a little discouraging that no businesses were there. But there was a lot of good input from the people that were there.”
The open house in question was last Wednesday at the Sonora Centre. According to King, it was attended by the consulting firm hired to produce a revitalization plan, most members of council and “15 or 20” members of the public.
In an interview Monday, King said: “The people who were there were very engaged. We felt there should have been more people that it impacts directly … there should have been more people from downtown.”
He said that because of the poor turnout, a second open house is planned “hopefully sooner than later … likely within the next couple of weeks. … I think they’re going to phone or talk to business people directly to see if they’ll show up.”
Councillor Mike Campol was a bit more fulsome in the expression of his frustration with the level of engagement and the attitudes of residents of the town.
On social media, Campol said, there is all manner of complaining about issues large and small. The councillor has developed a considerable on-line profile, particularly on Facebook.
One of the most common complaints, he said, is: “Why didn’t they ask the public? … Why were these decisions made without us?
“Yet every time I see the opportunity for that level of engagement, like the open house we held last week … almost no stakeholders showed up to give input or to hear the ideas that were being put forward.”
Taking a broader swipe at the attitudes of some of his constituents, Campol added: “Similarly, when we have a budget meeting or an AGM, the level of engagement from the community is almost none.
“And yet the complaining I see on social media about the lack of communication, the lack of knowledge on their part about the things we’re doing is astounding. … It comes back to the fact that it’s easier to find outrage and look for ways to be inconvenienced and play the victim.”
Campol has said that he does not intend to seek re-election for a second term as a councillor in the October municipal election.