Former Mayor Larry Di Ianni and Mr. Ecklund's daughter Erika

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LARRY'S CORNER- Hamilton's Former Mayor Speaks

former Mayor of Hamilton, Larry Di Ianni

Doug Barber Asked the Right Question

By Larry Di Ianni
(posted October 23, 2009)

It must have been an awkward moment when at the end of the breakfast to discuss Hamilton’s state of the city Prof. Doug Barber stood up and made this point: “I came here to find out if Hamilton is winning or losing.  I heard a lot of cheerleading and that people are playing well together as a team but I’m disappointed that I don’t know how we’re doing.”

 How is Hamilton doing? Are we headed down the right path, or are we as the Professor said, ‘just treading water’ as a community?

The panellists provided some responses to the pointed question.  The responses ranged from ‘we are losing’ to ‘we are moving forward’ to ‘we have a strong foundation, but are plagued by a restricted vision’ to being hampered by ‘a prism of negativity and a sense of loss. A sense of not being as good as we once were’.

Even though the moment must have been awkward and the feel-good intentions of the morning were probably marred, the Professor stimulated responses to the right question.  All organizations must confront their bottom line, as it were.  Knowing how you are doing is as important as planning your next step.  In fact, one might say that without knowing how one is doing is imperative to planning your next step.

I wasn’t at the session and am only gleaning the tenor of the discussion based on the news article on the subject, but what surprises me is that the panel discussion didn’t include a ‘report card’ on how the city is doing.  That should have framed the panel’s presentation in the first instance.  An assessment of the successes and challenges we have had as a community would have made the question asked unnecessary.  Listing some of the gains, and I know there have been some, would have deflected some of the sting in the ‘I feel we are losing comment’.  Providing a basis for optimism would have made the future gains with light rail and Pan Am games seem like the logical next steps rather than hopeful prayers.  This argument would have blunted the notion that we navel gaze or only look in the rear view mirror as a city.  Admitting to the challenges we face and providing a road map for dealing with them would have shown how as a community we can ‘aim high’ to blunt the criticism that we look for the lowest common denominator.

How are we doing as a city?  This is an important question that will be oft-repeated in the next 12 months, running up to the next municipal election,  as we look for initiatives, leadership and honesty in providing the answer to this most important of civic queries.

 


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