Elected officials should be held accountable for statements, actions, and decisions made on behalf of the community. Amherstburg’s Code of Conduct Definitions include: Transparency in government implies openness, accountability and honesty.

During the April 14 council meeting, Councillor Allaire said she would like the library to have a new place ‘that’s accessible’ and our library service is small and ‘not as accessible as we want it to be,’ and ‘its challenges are inaccessibility.’ 

Unanswered questions: Would you please explain how this library is not accessible? Is this just your opinion? Or did you obtain an expert opinion? Can you cite an authority for your statement or a basis? And who is we? Are you referring to any standard regarding what you want it to be? Emailed April 15, followed up April 18 and 21.

During the April 29 council meeting, Allaire asked for a bit more transparency; she also mentioned more transparency, “which is what I would love,” at the May 12 meeting.

On June 14, I emailed Allaire that I believed she was not being transparent about her library accessibility issue statements. I reminded her that I emailed a couple of times but that she ignored my questions. I also quoted some of her statements about transparency at meetings: “I’m genuinely asking for a bit more transparency in adding it to our social media” and “I feel that the transparency was limited recently, and I think that that’s what the public really wants” and “I actually appreciate the fact that it keeps some sort of transparency.”