March 25, 2009
Re: When a Twitterer becomes a twit
Mayor David Miller's use of Twitter is a fun and useful way to feel connected to a mayor who has a decent sense of humour.
However, a Twittering Mayor should not be confused with real transparent and open civic government.
For one thing, the city clerk's incorrigible non-compliance with provincial freedom of information law is a scandal.
Fortunately, city council itself has recognized this. In fact, council has recently begun to take the necessary steps to ensure that the municipal bureaucracy provides the openness and transparency that Torontonians expect.
For example, in October, city council voted to challenge its own City Clerk's Department in court over the clerk's refusal to disclose law enforcement information necessary to scrutinize the performance of the city's Licensing and Standards Department.
The culture at city hall is changing; but it is the diligent and too often unrecognized work of city councillors behind the scenes that is making the real difference, not Miller's Twitter.
Rami Tabello, Toronto
Re: When a Twitterer becomes a twit
Mayor David Miller's use of Twitter is a fun and useful way to feel connected to a mayor who has a decent sense of humour.
However, a Twittering Mayor should not be confused with real transparent and open civic government.
For one thing, the city clerk's incorrigible non-compliance with provincial freedom of information law is a scandal.
Fortunately, city council itself has recognized this. In fact, council has recently begun to take the necessary steps to ensure that the municipal bureaucracy provides the openness and transparency that Torontonians expect.
For example, in October, city council voted to challenge its own City Clerk's Department in court over the clerk's refusal to disclose law enforcement information necessary to scrutinize the performance of the city's Licensing and Standards Department.
The culture at city hall is changing; but it is the diligent and too often unrecognized work of city councillors behind the scenes that is making the real difference, not Miller's Twitter.
Rami Tabello, Toronto
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