Introduction
I recently had an opportunity to review the letter that my BRAG colleague, Blair Smith, sent to the City of Burlington’s Commissioner of Community Services Division, Jacqueline Johnson, regarding a proposed City Directory. Blair’s letter contained a unique and interesting idea on how the city could improve service delivery by posting a detailed listing of city employees and their contact information alongside a summary of what projects or undertakings for which they were responsible. This original idea, patterned on similar directories that exist within the province of Ontario and the City of Toronto, would dramatically improve access to civic officials while reducing the delay in securing information. No sooner than Blair sent his communication, then back came a cursory reply in two days essentially telling him the city already had such a service in place.
Well, actually, it didn’t. Truth is, it has a directory which is hard to access, and which contains limited information. What Blair envisaged, and what the city has, are light years apart.
What is also light years apart is the city’s understanding of the term “citizen engagement”. The way I understand it, ordinary citizens should be able to propose ideas to civic officials with the expectation that they would be carefully reviewed, researched and evaluated according to their feasibility and merits. However, what typically drives the city’s response is how quickly it can get an answer back saying “thanks but no thanks”, minus the full and thorough consideration.
“Father Knows Best”
Every time a city official provides feedback to a citizen on an idea or proposal it reminds me of that old television show “Father Knows Best”. For those too young to remember, this show ran in the 1950’s and profiled a typical middle class American family living in a town called Springfield. The show starred Robert Young in the role of Jim Anderson, the husband and father, Jane Wyatt as his wife Margaret, and their three children (i.e. Betty, Bud and Kathy) played by Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin respectively. The show ran from 1954 to 1960.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Knows_Best
This hugely popular television series was purportedly the embodiment of the quintessential American family, complete with all its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and everything in between. Each week, viewers tuned in and were treated to the challenges and adventures that the Andersons underwent. However, the guiding premise throughout the show was that no matter the challenge, problem or uncertainty, Jim (i.e. Robert Young) had it all under control. Under his tutelage and wisdom, the family steered confidently through each problem or near-disaster without missing a beat. Anytime one of the kids veered off the straight and narrow, Jim was there to lead them in the right course.
For instance, if Bud ever challenged his father about why his allowance wasn’t more, or balked at taking out the garbage, or expressed dismay at not being able to borrow the family car, Jim Anderson was there to offer a controlled and disciplined rebuke to gently put him in his place. Jim Anderson was the archetype of the loving father. Robert Young played his role well. Not surprisingly perhaps he later got tapped to play Marcus Welby, M.D., in the television show with the same name, another wise guiding and controlling authority figure.
The 1950’s was the height of the Cold War. It was the era of mass conformity, unquestioned allegiance to country, and the McCarthy witch-hunts, and there was a pervasive fear that subversives, criminals, or Communists, were around every corner. One had to be vigilant and constantly on guard.
Shows like “Father Knows Best” gave comfort to people who feared uncertainty, and provided a reassurance that everything would be just fine. All one had to do was trust in Jim Anderson (aka Robert Young), and all would be well.
The City as the Embodiment of all Knowledge, Wisdom and Virtue
The City of Burlington is a lot like Jim Anderson. Every time a recalcitrant citizen asks a probing question, or makes a suggestion, or challenges the status quo, the firm, guiding hand of the grey eminence emerges to quietly, but resolutely, put that person in their place. Authority shouldn’t be questioned. The role of the average citizen is to pay taxes and quietly obey. Don’t make noise. Don’t make waves. Be polite and respectful, and defer to authority at all times. Don’t go to budget consultation meetings and ask challenging questions like why Service Burlington doesn’t work very well, or why the City needs a budget increase three times the inflation rate, or why citizens are paying for a litany of silly, wasteful projects from Love Your Neighbour through to unnecessary cultural programs.
Those of us who participated in last year’s budget consultation exercise routinely saw this on display. No matter what the question, the comment or the proposal, the city always had an answer for everyone which usually ranged from “That won’t work” to “It’s too expensive” to “We’ll think about it”. How many of Eric Stern’s 35 proposals that were submitted on behalf of BRAG resulted in an intensive analysis or investigation? Answer: none.
And Back Again
This brings us full circle to Blair Smith’s City Directory proposal and his original ask. If I really believed the city took his suggestion seriously, here’s what I would have naturally expected:
- A telephone call to Blair to gather more details, or an e-mail invitation to schedule a meeting or Zoom call.
- Contact with the Ontario government or the City of Toronto to see how, in fact, their directories work, what information is contained in it, how it is set up, and how it is managed.
- A feasibility study to evaluate the relative benefits and costs of doing this.
- An evaluation by a sub-committee of whether or how this could be done.
- A response back to Blair within a four-to-six-week timeframe.
However, truth be told, the city really isn’t interested in this form of engagement. In fact, they aren’t really interested in listening to citizens, or entertaining new ideas, or critically examining and implementing new business processes. The city is interested in what many of us might cynically describe as a “tick the box” exercise. The aim isn’t to critically consider Blair’s response, or any other citizen’s input for that matter. The aim is to get a response back in 72 hours, and close the file. Case closed. Performance metric successfully achieved. Tick the box. Done.
Just Eat the Food, and to Hell with the Feedback
Every year the city hosts an event called “Food for Feedback” at Central Park. Ostensibly, this event provides residents with an opportunity to partake in a meal in exchange for providing feedback to the mayor, city councillors, and various civic officials in attendance, on a range of community activities and topics. According to the website “Feedback collected at the event will help the City continue to improve services and initiatives.”
https://www.burlington.ca/en/news/festivals-and-events/food-for-feedback.aspx
I doubt that most of the suggestions that are generated through this forum would equate in the level of thought or detail that Blair provided in his proposal. If Blair’s proposal barely elicits a cursory response what would make any citizen believe the city takes seriously suggestions that are proffered with lesser substance?
After all: The City, like Father, knows best!