Police board still in the interim

Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Richard Turtle

EMC News -Stirling - Despite a training session provided to members prior to this week's meeting of the interim board currently overseeing police services in Stirling-Rawdon, sitting officials are still uncertain how long their own services will be required.

Board Chair Lianne Radocsay informed those in attendance that the training was provided but members have still not been given a timeframe for their temporary appointments.

"This could be our last meeting," Radocsay says. "Or there could be six more. I don't know." The interim board has been in place since last August when, following the resignation of provincial appointees on the Police Services Board, council representatives Wilfred Shier, Rodney Cooney and municipal appointee Greg Oliver were unceremoniously removed from their positions pending the outcome of an Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC) investigation. OCPC offi-cials at that time appointed interim board members Radocsay, Jim Pollock and, following another resignation, Tara Dier, who was sworn in two months ago, offering no other details.

So, Radocsay says, it will continue to be business as usual.

After approving vouchers and verifying a record check balance of just under $150,000, board members perused a statement of revenues and expenditures for the past year with Radocsay noting there was nothing alarming.

"Some are over and some are under but most of the numbers are close to budget."

The board also received and filed several pieces of correspondence, briefly discussed and turned down a grass cutting contract proposal and opted not to offer to host the Zone 2 meeting of the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards in the spring.

There were also a few questions from the gallery following the business section of the meeting, with resident Joseph Way questioning the interim board's authority to approve certain expenditures, suggesting they were making decisions that might later be re-examined from a legal perspective.

Way was also critical of Police Chief Brian Foley's "pretty rigid" rules of disclosure during public meetings, accusing Foley of avoiding too many questions by saying it is an operational matter and instead suggesting Foley take some lessons in public relations.

Radocsay said they would make note of the comments.

There will be no meeting in March because of the March Break and the board is set to reconvene on April 9.