Accountability & Transparency: Who is talking to your Councillor?
Burlington City Council met on May 5th, 2021 to discuss the committee item that seeks to implement a Lobbyist Registry for the City of Burlington. Read the full report here. This was a campaign promise with you, “I support a Lobbyist Registry so you know who is talking to your Councillors and Mayor. Its time to bring about transparency on the decisions that affect how we enjoy our city.”
I’ve walked the talk and have held a registry since 2019 and invite you to have a look here:
Building community engagement, health, and culture all while delivering a customer-centric service to focus on efficiency and technology progression is the objective of this Council meetings. Allowing for complete transparency, the goal is to publish interactions between members of the Council and “Lobbyists” so that they are fully available to the public, ensuring civic involvement.
Four options were brought before Committe, with the first option discussed in detail. The first option, with my amendment sought to expand the existing business meeting registry to all the members of Council. This option can be implemented on its own, with no further steps, at the lowest cost.
Establishing a clear definition of lobbying and communication in the municipal context is important. It must be recognized that any interaction with a public office holder, at an informal or formal setting, to advance a business or financial agenda with aims to influence a legislative action is considered lobbying and must be made clear to the public.
The Burlington City Council approved a newly-worded Lobbyist Registry, that involves public consultation, will be brought before council on May 18th.
My motion before Council is:
Direct the City Clerk to proceed with option 1 regarding implementing a lobbyist registry as outlined in office of the city clerk report CL-15-21; and
Direct the City Clerk to report back after public consultation in Q1 2023 with options.
It is important to note that this initiative is in addition to the current Code of Conduct and all professional conduct requirements.