Searching out potholes

Yes, everyone has their own pothole stories. Like fishing tales, they often get bigger and bigger with each telling.

But these seasonal hazards are no joke. They not only damage our vehicles, they have also been responsible for injuring unsuspecting pedestrians. The Examiner's own rental expert Ted Wright was recently put out of commission for nearly three weeks after stepping into a particularly nasty one on Sherbrooke Street.

Taxpayers have often complained that their reports of potholes have gone unheeded by public works departments, but the City of Westmount has taken a pro-active approach to the problem. If you see a pothole, report it to the City and they will come and fill it in. No hassles, no bureaucratic nonsense — they will simply send someone to fix it. They have even placed ads in local media to announce this program, which is the opposite of most other municipalities' approach to the problem.

This is certainly an admirable initiative, ambitious in its scope and designed for the greater good of all residents, motorists and pedestrians alike. But how is it working out? Are these potholes being repaired promptly after being reported? The Examiner would like to hear from residents on what so far appears to be an excellent, pro-active program.

Healthy debate on council

Three big cheers for city councillor Kathleen Duncan for what some would say was a brave stand against her fellow councillors over the seemingly trivial purchase of a sidewalk vacuum vehicle. By refusing to go along with everyone else and voting for the purchase at last month's city council meeting, she stuck to her guns and voted against it.

So what? you may ask. Councillors vote for or against agenda items all the time. Well yes, but in Westmount things have usually run differently.

As many veteran council watchers will tell you, voting against the majority is hardly ever done. Westmount's last few city councils have traditionally appeared to be of one mind — unanimous in their agreement on all issues. Even if an individual councillor was not in total accord with his or her colleagues, they tended to go with the flow; there have rarely been single dissenters on votes.

This lack of debate on council has not gone unnoticed. Westmount Municipal Association president Dr. Henry Olders has been quite vocal in his encouragement of it, and he is certainly not alone.

Westmount is fortunate to have a group of dedicated, intelligent and hard-working individuals comprising its city council. But as Councillor Duncan recently showed us, there is definitely room for debate on even the most routine agenda items and community issues. And healthy debate is a good thing; it not only allows for some transparency but also shows residents that their tax dollars are not being spent in one long rubber-stamp process.