Seconding a Motion
A couple of people under the Election Issues tab have brought up the topic of seconding a motion. To those not familiar with meeting procedure (Robert's Rules of Order), this may be confusing. There is reason for this topic to be raised.
Simply put, if there is be to any discussion on an idea or suggestion at a meeting the idea or suggestion must be seconded.
1. a person makes a motion – puts forth the idea
2. a person, the seconder seconds the motion – to enable debate
3. debate or discussion begins.
If there is no seconder the motion, idea or suggestion is dead and goes no further.
For those who have observed council meetings over the last few years there was on several occasions a noticeable lack of a seconder and therefore the issue at hand died. Unfortunately it seemed to be only one councillor whose ideas received little or sometimes no discussion for lack of a seconder. Recently one of our current councillors noted one of the things she enjoyed about being on council was working as a group. However it seemed to observers, frequently more like a group minus one. Important topics have sometimes not been discussed in view of the public for lack of a seconder. Healthy discussion and debate is what democracy is about. If that discussion is stifled for lack of a seconder the public has no way of knowing what our elected officials understand to be either the positive or negative attributes to an idea. Just because you second a motion does not mean you are for it but it does mean you are in favour of civil debate and discussion. We need to see more of that.
I second that idea!!
ReplyDeleteWhy do the rules call for a seconder at all if the expectation is to proceed to debate no matter what? Perhaps the choice of the Councillors not to second a motion says more about the motion or the person making it than about themselves. It does seem that due process was followed.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who attended a number of Council meetings over the past three years, I can empathize with the Councillor who raised what appeared to be motions worthy of further discussion, but was unable to have the proposed motion debated due to the lack of a seconder.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the choice of the Councillors not to second a motion says more about the rest of the Councillors and their apparent reluctance to consider debating motions with which they don't agree?
Was it a motion that they did not agree with or one that they saw no merit in? That is an important distinction.
ReplyDeleteIs Anonymous declaring council to be made up of oracles if merit is known before all facts are brought to the floor?
ReplyDeleteNo, not oracles. It just seems naive for a Councillor to not provide some details regarding a motion to be put to Council to his/her colleagues prior to bringing it to the Council meeting. Since I don't think any of the Councillors are naive, it stands to reason that Council had some knowledge of the motion ahead of time.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing and reporting on municipal governments for close to 50 years, and have never seen anything like the situation at Cranbrook council, which is obviously an attempt to stifle open public debate by some councillors. The usual practice is that, even if the motion is doomed to defeat, someone will second it, to permit debate. Sadly I have come to conclude that some believe that once elected they rule by the old divine right of kings. Let's hope the election solves that problem.
ReplyDeleteWhere do some of these comments come from? if a motion does not receive a seconder it simply means that the majority of the quorum does not see the proposal as a priority issue for the citizens of Cranbrook. This is not a deliberate effort to stifle one persons thoughts but simply efficient business to avoid lengthy unnecessary discussions in the eyes of the majority. Who is the poor soul who cannot find a seconder? He/She must not understand the real issues.
ReplyDeleteNot every idea is worthy of being seconded. It would be a waste of public time to debate silly notions when the council could be debating real issues of importance to the community. Me thinks the blog writer has not actually witnessed any other council from any other City for the last 50 years as noted, as the action that they describe as stifling public debate is actually democracy in action.
ReplyDelete