(Clipping of a 2011 article in The Tyee)
When I returned to Council in 2011, one of the things I wanted to restore was something pretty basic: people should be able to see how their councillors voted.
The previous Council had changed the procedure bylaw so that the minutes no longer routinely recorded movers, seconders, or how individual councillors voted. Someone reading the minutes could see whether a motion carried or failed, but not necessarily who supported it.
I thought residents should be able to see who supported a decision and who did not.
During the 2011 election, The Tyee interviewed me about it and I thought, it is crucial for residents to know how councillors voted on things in order to ensure accountabilty.
I was elected again that November and kept pushing for more openness in how Council did its business.
It may seem like a small procedural thing, but I have always thought it matters. If we make decisions in public, people should be able to see who voted for what.