Memo to City Manager: Dig into one of those reserve funds you have and bring the technology in Council Chambers up to speed.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON May 10, 2011 – It started with the wobbly chair t the inaugural session of Council. For a moment it looked as if newly minted Councillor Blair Lancaster was going to end up on her little tushie when she went sit down on the chair from which she was to sigh her Oath of Office.

Then there was the couple of weeks when the digital sound track of Oh Canada was “wobbly” and ran at different speeds – THAT was terribly embarrassing.

This week, for the third time in the past while, it was the audio visual system that wouldn’t allow the technician to get anything up on the screen so we had the Mayor handing out printed copies of the presentations being made. The “audio visual” failures have been close to consistent. It got so bad Monday evening that Roman Martiuk, the City Manager had to ask the technician to stop creeping up to the well of the Chamber Council to try and get the thing to work.

Typically in a setting where technology is going to be used someone does a short dry run to make sure all the parts are working. We don’t appear to do that.

The microphones that are used by the people around the Council ring are – well dated might be an appropriate work. Council members continually find themselves slapping at the button to turn the microphone on or off.

Time Mr. Martiuk for an upgrade to the Council Chambers. There must be some loose change in one of the many funds you manage to cove the cost of the needed upgrades. Alternatively we could pass around a tin cup at one of the committee meetings that had a decent attendance or maybe sell copies of the presentations being made and raise the money that way.

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