We want to assure our citizens that your city council will not be muzzled.
In response to the Advocate editorial of July 19, Don’t muzzle councillors, the Code of Conduct policy, one of 32 policies, came to council through our Governance and Policy deliberations. The policy under Social Media/Networking is to determine how we hold ourselves accountable to each other as councillors and to the community.
We want to clarify that it was not and is not the message or the proposal from city administration that we be restrained in any way from expressing our opinions. The discussions we held at council has led to a reworking of the point to clarify the intent.
We concur that politicians must be free to speak their mind. The Code of Conduct and all of our governance policies are council-led initiatives.
Council asked for the Code of Conduct and is involved in drafting them and determining their finality.
Council, not administration is the driver of the policies and procedures. This policy is one of many that holds ourselves accountable to each other as council and to you, the community.
Mayor Morris Flewwelling and
Councillors Lynne Mulder, Buck Buchanan,
Paul Harris, Cindy Jeffries and Dianne Wyntjes