Former municipal council member has some advice for Councillor Dennison and his severance application.

 

 

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON. May 16, 2013.  City Council has been known to whip through their televised city council meetings in as little as 20 minutes.  Ward 4 Councillor Jack Dennison will be able to take part in the first half hour of the Council meeting Tuesday, May 21st – (Council meetings start at 6:30 pm) after that he will be next door in Room 247 speaking to his application before the Committee of Adjustment, to be allowed to sever the property he owns and lives in on Lakeshore Road.

Councillor Jack Dennison at a community meeting in Roseland that was collecting views on the character of the community.

The application has had a bumpy ride in the community. Dennison’s neighbours in the community are opposed to the severance and have been successful in opposing applications from others at the Ontario Municipal Board level.

The Roseland Community Association with a membership at the 125 level in a community with something in the order of 500 homes appears to have a lot of clout and is well-organized.  They were well enough organized to refuse membership to Dennison, the Ward Councillor

It should be quite a show.  Perhaps Council will choose to adjourn for a period of time so that everyone can take in the Committee of Adjustment hearing.  Maybe Committee of Adjustment will move into Council Chambers where their proceedings can be televised live.  That just might up the Cogeco ratings a bit.

Dennison’s property on Lakeshore Road is to be the focus for an application to sever the land into two lots

There are different views in the community on this one.  Some feel Dennison has the same rights as everyone else in the community while others feel he is held to a higher standard.  My colleague, Joan Little who writes a regular column for the Spectator and has served as both a municipal council member and a member of the Regional government and still serves on the one of the Niagara Commissions had this to say about the situation Dennison is in:

Where is the line between being a Councillor and a citizen? Sometime it’s blurry, but the
rights of a citizen are enjoyed by Councillors, except when they pose a conflict of interest.

There is already strong neighbourhood concern about a severance, and variances, applied for by Councillor Jack Dennison. It isn’t a conflict technically, but questionable from an optics perspective. I can’t imagine that he intends to run again in 2014 if he’s alienating an old established (voting) neighbourhood. But then, he was roundly criticized in 2006 for being two years behind in his business taxes, but ran successfully.

City planning staff have to recommend approval or refusal – the same staff Dennison works with daily. And members of the committee of adjustment are appointed by council. Would you like to rule on an application for one of the people who appoints you? One member, Peter Thoem, is a former council colleague. While Thoem and Dennison weren’t close buddies, it’s still awkward for Thoem, as for them all. And what if there is an appeal?

Dennison would be smart to avoid these discomforts for all by putting his application on hold while he’s on council. At best, if he runs again – when he ran the first time, about twenty years ago it was for one term, he said  – he’ll face stiff opposition from a key part of his ward, and at worst, could lose.

Dennison has always done what he does his own way.  He is aware of the risks and he is also aware that there is at least one very credible candidate ready to run and an also ran who might decide to give it a go again.

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3 comments to Former municipal council member has some advice for Councillor Dennison and his severance application.

  • Daphne

    Council does appointment the Committee of Adjustment. I’m quite sure he has friends at City Hall too. It will be interesting to see if the Committee upholds the clear judgment of the Planning Department and enforces their denial of his Application.

  • Joan Gallagher-Bell

    My thought is I hope he does not get away with it this time. The tax arrears was enough and now this. Truly this is a conflict of interest and addressed. No favours or alliances included. Just honest common sense thinking………whooooooooooops does common sense still live?
    Joan G-B

  • Joe Lamb

    I would be very surprised if Councillor Dennison actually speaks at the Committee of Adjustment.My understanding of the Municipal Conflict of interest Act is that he can hire an agent to speak on his behalf but he can not actually speak to the matter himself or influence in any way other Councillors or staff on this matter. Doesn’t Council appoint the Committee of adjustment and is it not a committee of Council. Jack would be well advised to talk to seek legal council before he gets himself it a wack of trouble as this matter is truly a percuniary interest for him. My guess is he will not speak to the matter himself as he has always taken the high ground on these types of conflicts. Too bad he did not declare a conflict on the bike lanes that he wanted to run in front of his property on Lakeshore.One could argue that bike lanes would result in the slowing of traffic in front of his property which could influence the value of of his property. Seems to me that he not properly thinking through some of these matters. Joe Lamb.