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Best council ever or just a bunch of hot air?

London city councilors are facing criticism for their behaviour regarding the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award. The award is being issued on the occasion of the Queen's 60th Diamond Jubilee and was created to “honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.”

Mayor Joe Fontana, who has called this the “best council ever,” nominated all 14 members of city council for the award. The controversy began when it became known that out of the 288 nominations in London, fewer than 150 medals would be awarded. The complaint is that London's city councilors shouldn't be receiving a Jubilee Medal in place of deserving community members.

Anyone can be nominated for the award, but in an interesting twist, not just anyone can nominate a person. In the official nominations page on the Diamond Jubilee Award website, it stipulates that there's a select group of “partners” who are able to submit nominations. Obviously it's not an exclusive group; it includes NGOs and politicians at every level of government. The obvious conflict is that a medal is being awarded to one or more of the minority who were allowed to nominate others.

The Twitter-sphere and a number of publications have accused councilors of being everything from obnoxious to outright selfish. While both of those traits are displayed regularly at 300 Dufferin St., this latest gaffe appears to be council just missing the point. It's perfectly reasonable to think that council should be aware of their political environment and which way the winds of public opinion are blowing but it's also obvious that this council is not. At a time when the City Hall stories are by and large budget discussions and debates over service cuts, the council nominated itself for an award of recognition. A more self-aware council would likely want to avoid recognition of their recent actions.

It is imperative to mention that the nominations were done by Mayor Fontana, however it was also approved by the council. The 14 city councilors in London receive a salary just north of $30,000 per year. Beyond their work in the council chambers, the vast majority are involved in other community organizations and committees. Any of those individual commitments outside of council would merit a nomination, but in lieu of being recognized by someone who has a vested interest in keeping them happy, the medal turns into a workplace recognition award.

With an introduction like the bold “Worst council ever” cover of the London Free Press on November 4, 2012, it's hard to look kindly on anything London's city council does. The petty squabbling and arrogance are all evident to anyone who is willing/able to sit through a session. That aside, the councilors are elected officials making decisions in, what they believe to be, the best interests of the city. While it's impossible to determine the value of this medal to an individual, there's a prevailing sense that our politicians are in a position where they are regularly recognized and lauded. When someone like Councilor Joe Swan gets applauded on a regular basis as he introduces Orchestra London, it's hard to see why he needs a medal to boot.
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