Podcast: The Triumvirate tries to decipher Councilor Rhonda Pownell’s column

The LG Triumvirate

The LG troika was reunited this week and, after the requisite fluff segment, we spent the rest of the show discussing the guest column by City of Northfield’s At-Large Councilor Rhonda Pownell that appeared in last weekend’s Nfld News titled Teamwork: Time to let go of fear, unforgiveness.

Our community is a team. Schools, businesses, government, organizations, families and individuals are all part of this team. What are some of the things holding us back? I believe it’s fear, unforgiveness and a lack of trust. We must lay these things down.

What or who is she referring to exactly? As I said on the show, if she had published this column back in January, it would have clearly been a reference to “the meltdown” in 2008 and prior. But now?

We’ll try to get her as a guest for an upcoming show but in the meantime, let’s speculate since we’re good at that. 😉

Click play to listen. 30 minutes:

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4 Comments

  1. Griff Wigley said:

    Hmmm, might this be related? Nfld News article titled Council mulls switch to Tuesday night meetings:

    A suggestion by Councilor Rhonda Pownell for the council to meet monthly for dinner got little support. The idea, she said, came from Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede, who said his city paid for the meals, noticed as meetings and open to the public. “Mayor Brede said it was worth the cost,” said Pownell, noting Brede said the $3,000 annual expense helped the council make valuable connections with one another and the public.

    Mayor Mary Rossing, who opposed the idea of city-funded meals, suggested the council could instead meet quarterly for breakfast.

    December 15, 2009
  2. kiffi summa said:

    Given the recent admonitions to the Hospital Board by Mark Anfinson, open meeting law specialist, I must admit to being astounded that a councilor would suggest a social meeting/council meal meeting… so clearly inappropriate.

    Griff, I wonder if Ms. Pownell’s column refers to David Anderson’s(St. Olaf Pres) remarks at the November DT Forum, when he said agood working relationship with the City would have to be established on “Trust and Candor”; this in relationship to the streetlight utility fee/colleges issue. Dr. Anderson admitted to feeling “blindsided” by the NFNews announcement of those huge fees, when he had just had lunch with the Mayor and Administrator the previous day, and there had been no ‘heads-up’.
    Ms. Pownell said she had been reassured that an apology had been made; Dr. Anderson leaned over the front row chair and said directly to her, “If that has been done, it has not yet reached my office!”

    Might that be some motivation of the rather strange article? trying to correct a major faux-pas?

    December 16, 2009

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