Despite the Motion Not Being Supported this is HUGE Victory for Shareholders
Defeated Motion at Essex Council April 4th:
Councillor Bondy
- Moved by Councillor Bondy, Seconded by Councillor Verbeek That the vacant seat on the E.L.K Energy Board be filled by someone in the community through an application process based on qualifications and not another member of Essex Council.
In a Recorded Vote Support– Verbeek and Bondy
Opposed– Meloche, Bjorkman, Garon Vander Doelen, Mayti, Bowman
Vacant Seat Filled Internally
Despite majority of Council admitting that changes need to come to the E.L.K Board composition, Council ultimately decided on status quo of the E.L.K Board- 5 Board members will continue to be Essex Councillors. Essex Councillors make up majority of the Board and this has been the case for sometime as we are the sole shareholders. Councillor Bondy said she would like to see a skill set matrix on appointing new board members, appointing another councillor does not do the Shareholders or Council any justice. She asked if we could look to other models out there on how board members are appointed. A member of senior administration was suggested and supported by a few councillors but the Clerk said he would not recommend a town employee sitting on E.L.K as it would be a conflict of duty… hummm it feels that even Essex Councillors would have a conflict of duty then?? When we keep appointing the same Board members ( councillors) we are are going to keep having the same results.
This was not the first time concerns over how E.L.K. Board members are appointed have been raised. Councillor Bondy has raised this at least two previous times.
Councillor Garon asked if we could keep the seat vacant. The Clerk said bylaw 1777 lacks details and does not spell those conditions out and to the best of his knowledge there are not terms of reference for the committee either.
Councillor Verbeek stated she would also like to see someone with a skill set. She asked how hard it would be to change the bylaws on how we appoint members. The CAO stated that the Clerks department was busy and it would take some time to draft the new bylaws.
Councillor Bowman said he thinks it is good to look at the composition next term, but with less than a year to fill we should fill it with a councillor member and make the changes later on.
Deputy Mayor Bjorkman stated we need to move to an experienced Board but also said we need to fill the seat right away. He also said there are issues that need to be dealt with and that is the job of the Board- I think that is great to hear since issues were pointed out years ago and at the time I was dismissed- so I will take this as a small victory. Deputy Mayor Bjorkman said he believes we need a full board and have as many sets of eyes a possible. Deputy Mayor Bjorkman also stated that this seat needs to be filled now and to that Councillor Bondy asked why this was not addressed sooner as it has been vacant since January. If he wanted it filled why didn’t he raise a motion sooner?
Mayor Meloche was asked if an email was already sent to E.L.K stating Deputy Mayor Bjorkman was filling the seat. He said he did not remember. He does agree with looking at a different composition but right town our town staff are to busy working on the election. Our Clerk has said this December this will change and a recommendation will come forward where we look for real expertise. It mindful for us to have a strong hold, there are some issues. The mayor went on to say, I agree and I am not sure if Deputy Mayor Bjorkman would agree to sitting on the committee or not but he would be a good choice for us.
Councillor Bondy stated that there are documents on the Ontario Energy Board that shows best practices. The remaining term left on the E.L.K board is until December or January when the new Board gets appointed. This is being diligent as shareholders, we should be here to appoint skills sets not council colleagues.
What happens when the Board does not produce expected results? Who is accountable and why can’t the Shareholder question the Board members? Those questions still remain unanswered. The Board has no term limits so many of the Board members have been there for years, Richard Meloche, Morley Bowman, Peter Timmins and Ron McDermott.
Some Best Practices:
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