OrilliaMatters received the following open letter from Ramara Chamber of Commerce member Ken Jennings, in regards to the all-candidates meetings.
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I am a member of the Ramara Chamber of Commerce. I am disappointed and embarrassed by the clumsy way our Ramara Chamber of Commerce managed the all-candidates meetings.
Unfortunately for all members of the Chamber, during the planning of the all-candidates meetings, a few directors made poor decisions. These uninformed missteps made all members of the Chamber look insensitive, intransigent, and out of touch with today's communications tools. Specifically, actions and words of the moderator displayed no concern for voters who were unable to attend. His cavalier uncaring attitude reflected badly on the entire Ramara Chamber of Commerce.
Another director included the following sentence in an email to candidates: "We will not be videotaping any of these meetings and we will not allow anyone else to do so either."
Our Chamber's absolute refusal to permit streaming or recording of the meeting in any form displays the arrogance and inflexibility of the Chamber of Commerce's meeting organizers.
There is no excuse for such stubbornness and Neanderthal-like attitudes to modern communications and information sharing. The Chamber directors' hauteur shows a complete lack of care for voters who were unable to attend in person.
All directors of the Chamber are subject to criticism as a result of their positions of leadership in the Chamber. Were all directors aware of and “on board” with the decisions? Or was this the actions of a few stodgy, old, directors who are well past their "best before date?"
Because of this PR debacle, all Chamber directors and their organizations will be evaluated by those considering membership in the Ramara’s Chamber of Commerce.
Directors may be subject to criticism because of the Chamber's insensitive and backwards positions in respect of the Jewish High Holidays and/or the Chamber's unwillingness to live-stream five meetings so all Ramara voters could hear and compare the candidates.
Other townships (Oro-Medonte, Innisfil, Tiny and Collingwood) live-streamed or made their all-candidates meetings available to voters who could not attend. Why did Ramara have to be the laggard?
The idea that all-candidates meetings should not be streamed for reasons of privacy is so out of step that the all-candidates meeting moderator actually threatened me and others with ejection if we recorded the meetings for the benefit of those who could not be present. This is as out of line as the present Ramara council's vote to delete all YouTube recordings of council meetings after one year. SHAME!
Is anyone surprised that The Ramara Chamber of Commerce has failed to bring growth and opportunity to Ramara? Is this the publicity that Chamber members want in exchange for their dues?
By the time that most people read this letter the election will be over. Hopefully with a new Council all of Ramara can move forward into the future.
Ken Jennings
Brechin
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