County seeks professional help with its image
Posted By SHAWN GIILCK
Posted 4 months ago
Collingwood Mayor Chris Carrier is backing a Simcoe County decision to hire a high-priced public relations firm to repair its reputation following the Site 41 situation.
Carrier said the summer-long problems dealing with protestors at the proposed dump site have left the county with a black eye and a badly-tarnished public acceptance.
"Its image has taken a severe beating over Site 41 and some of the unilateral actions that were subsequently approved by the council as a whole and by the warden and CAO," said Carrier. "There are so many things the county does very well to assist with objectives it's easy to have a good image. We've fallen so far, we do need some fresh new help. I think it's made us, as a county, look small.
"If we're going to demean people and intimidate them, then clearly we need some professional advice to move ahead and go forward," he added.
On Aug. 25, county council decided at an in-camera meeting to approve the hiring a of public relations firm to "elevate the public perception of the county."
The task of polishing the county's image has been handed to the high-profile consulting firm Fleishman- Hillard, and the budget for their services has been set at $250,000.
That's in addition to the $1,207,953 the county budgeted in 2009 to operate its own in-house, four-person communications department; an amount that covers the department's entire operations. The county's concerns about its image, some county councillors suggest, stem from the controversy surrounding dump Site 41.
Carrier isn't the only critic of the county's communications concerning Site 41.
Penetanguishene Mayor Anita Dubeau says the county "has done a really poor job of bringing the message forward on Site 41."
"We have not done a good a very good job in public relations, especially concerning Site 41," said Dubeau, who voted last month to support a one-year moratorium on construction of the controversial project.
Midland Mayor Jim Downer, who opposes hiring outside PR consultants, says the county "dropped the ball" on Site 41.
Tiny Township Mayor Peggy Breckenridge, also an outspoken critic of the county's failure to communicate, said all she ever hears are negative comments.
"The county successfully delivers a range of services, including paramedic services, affordable housing, children's aid and the organics waste program," she said. "But because of the negative stuff around Site 41, the county is seen in a negative light. We need an expert to help us get over this hurdle."
Tay Township Mayor Scott Warnock, who, like Downer, is not in favour of hiring an outside consulting firm, said that a lot of the problems that arose over the summer could have been prevented.
"If county council had met back in July, had held a special meeting and got all of this (Site 41) on the table, it might have saved a lot of the disinformation that got out there," he said. "It could have really helped bring the issue forward from the ratepayers perspective much sooner.
Ray Millar, a former CMC chair, said he wondered, "on what grounds was the meeting at which council decided (to hire Fleishman-Hillard) closed to the public? The Municipal Act is clear on the matter of closed meetings, with very few exceptions enumerated."
Anne Ritchie-Nahuis, another CMC member, argues that the Municipal Act restricts councils to what it can discuss behind closed doors, and public relations is not one of them.
"No one reading the minutes of the Aug. 25 council meeting would suspect that council had made such a decision or that it involves such a large sum," she said. "The recommendation was contained in a confidential report 'regarding security of the property of the municipality and advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege.'"
