Making a difference in Cranbrook, grassroots democracy group most significant local news story of 21st Century

The Citizens for a Livable Cranbrook Society (CLCS), a grassroots democracy group which took on Scott Manjak, a first term mayor, and a majority of councillors, over their attempt to expand the city's boundaries, and defeated the council, not once but twice has to be the most significant news story here in the past decade.

The success of the CLCS made a huge difference in the way local politics has been practised in this city of about 18000 in the southeastern corner of  British Columbia, and the local mayor and council should take heed in the final two years of its term, but that remains to be seen. The council of the day did not get its way.

Led by Sharon Cross, the president, the group gave Manjak and the council majority its first defeat when  council tried an alternative approval process which if approved would have doubled the geographic size of the city. The group needed 1475 voters (10 per cent) to sign a form objecting to the plan--- more than 3000 signed on. After this defeat I wrote here that Manjak and council majority had received a lesson in grassroots democracy.

http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2009/08/cranbrook-mayor-scott-manjak-and-his.html

Council met and passed a motion to proceed with a referendum on November 14, the next step in the process permitted to a council  by provincial legislation.

Although facing a huge advertising campaign by a Yes to boundary expansion group estimated at more than $100,000, advertising by the city and the very vocal support of Manjak and councillors Denise Pallesen, Angus Davis, Liz Schatschneider, Jim Wavrecan and Diana Scott, the open support of three former mayors and several councillors and the local chamber of commerce, the referendum was lost.  The CLCS spent less than $5000 on advertising.

Councillor Bob Whetham opposed the alternative approval process and the referendum.

I have been a political junkie for about 50 years now and never have I seen a muncipal council - the mayor and majority of the councillors who have so actively supported a project - go down to defeat because the people rose up from the grassroots and rejected the plan -- not once but twice, all in the first year of  a three-year term on the same issue.

The success of the CLCS sent a clear warning to the mayor and council that it is not necessarily local politics as usual in this city. To paraphrase Robert Frost, the CLCS chose to take a road less travelled by in opposing the council majority, and that has made all the difference. It was the biggest local political happening of the 21st century.

And it sends a signal to citizens everywhere that it is possible to bring about change when our elected politicians introduce projects with which we the people do not agree. Grassroots democracy is alive and well in Cranbrook!

Here is link to article I did after the referendum and the real challenge now facing Manjak and council.
http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.com/2009/11/real-challenge-begins-now-for-cranbrook.html


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Real challenge begins now for Cranbrook mayor Scott Manjak and his council supporters

Now that the referendum to extend the boundaries of the city of Cranbrook is over, and voters have said No to the proposal backed by mayor Scott Manjak and a majority of council members, they now face their real challenge after suffering two defeats on this issue during the first year of a three-year term.

After attempting to gain approval for the boundary extension to the area called the East Hill through an alternative approval process, and seeing that plan soundly defeated when the grassroots Citizens for a Livable Cranbrook Society led by president Sharon Cross obtained more than twice as many response forms from voters as were required to stop this process, council approved the referendum.

Despite the support of the local chamber of commerce, three former mayors and several councillors, a massive advertising campaign by a Yes side group reported to have cost more than $100,000, plus advertising by the city and the efforts of Manjak and  councillors Denise Pallesen, Jim Wavrecan, Angus Davis, Diana Scott, and Liz Schatschneider to sway Cranbrook citizens to vote Yes, they lost.

Following a recount, 2616 voters had said No, while 2581 voted Yes. There were 5228 ballots cast and 31 were rejected.

The CLC Society reports that it spent less than $5,000 on its No campaign. Councillor Bob Whetham supported the No side and voted against the alternative approval process and the referendum at council. His courageous position has now been vindicated by the voters of Cranbrook, and it is something his council colleagues need to recognize as they face the real challenges before them in the next two years of their term. He represents the wishes of the majority of voters in the referendum.

Simply put with a nod to Bob Dylan, the times they are a changing in Cranbrook, and it is now time for Manjak and his council supporters to accept the new reality and move forward with plans to address the many issues facing the city as it is,  without thinking about creating a second city on a hill.

When I moved to Cranbrook just over 20 years ago, it was referred to as the "pothole capital of Canada." It still is in many respects and citizens have been complaining for 20 years or more. Instead of simply paying lip service to the issue, Manjak and council could start to address it seriously and present the citizens with a proposal to fix the roads.

Council needs to get serious about  the need for an overpass (or underpass) over the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, a problem that has been ignored since Cranbrook was founded over 100 years ago. It is time to meet this real challenge now.

Obviously, there are challenges facing Cranbrook centred on the provision of proper environmental services for the future.

There are challenges to be met to address the needs of the homeless and to provide affordable housing for those who need it, and a proper home for the supporters of arts and culture. Cranbrook needs to attract new industries.

Most importantly, this mayor who promised an open and transparent administration and his supporters on the council hopefully will now realize that the greatest resource a community has is its people, with talents and abilities and good will, just waiting to be used to make Cranbrook a better place for everyone.

Ultimately, the real challenge  is to open the doors of communication and enter into a dialogue with the citizens, so that in the future the YES factor will dominate public discourse in this city with a focus on the things that bring us together, rather than those which divide us.

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