Bell: Gondek apology, what it says about her and Calgary city hall

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A light bulb goes on in Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s office.

We’ll see how brightly it shines or how long it’s on but it’s on.

The mayor says sorry to Calgarians.

Sorry to Calgarians for poor communication from city hall.

Poor communication from Calgary city hall? Say it ain’t so.

Mayor Gondek is at city hall and your scribbler is in the room and there are yummy donuts for the press. Some newshounds refuse, no doubt not wanting to be seen as ethically compromised by an apple fritter.

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Gondek says information has been slow in coming, it’s been confusing.

No kidding, Sherlock.

It’s called mixed messaging, mixed-up messaging, incoherent messaging smack dab in the middle of an epic water crisis.

Information from city hall is almost always slow in coming and confusing but Calgarians don’t notice on most days. It’s become the sad standard operating procedure.

Then there’s a crisis, like this city’s water system breakdown, and people really need to know what’s up.

City hall who doesn’t like to tell people anything have to tell people something.

The mayor says it’s been stressful. She heard all about it.

She was in Bowness on the weekend and heard all about it.

I was in Bowness on Sunday at Cadence Coffee and then at the Guru Nanak Free Kitchen where bottled water and food was being distributed.

I heard all about it.

Gondek says the city will do better explaining what’s happened, when it will get fixed, more signs on how to find the water trucks, the fact the water trucks need to be filled, more explanation of what the boiled water advisory means.

The basics.

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City hall is not good at delivering the basics.

The people in Bowness want the city to communicate in plain language.

The city does not like plain language. They are allergic to it. Plain language would peel away the layers of B.S.

That would be uncomfortable for the paper shufflers downtown.

Gondek tells us when she heard from the people of Bowness she called the Number One paper shuffler, David Duckworth.

She or her staff also almost certainly read social media and the scathing analysis and insightful advice from Jen Gerson, a very astute observer of the state of the universe.

The mayor said the city had to step up its game.

“In a nutshell we need to do a lot better for Calgarians,” says the mayor.

At this point, your scribbler ventures to social media where Gondek drops the blame game with the provincial government, a welcome move her staunchest supporters did not want her to do, at least those who made their opinions known to me.

“I am grateful for the support we have received from the provincial government as we address our critical water situation,” writes the mayor.

“Premier Danielle Smith  and her ministers have been in regular contact with us.”

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“We must do this together.”

At this point, your scribbler wonders what some defenders of the mayor must think, those who figure there is nothing to apologize for and any criticism of the mayor or Calgary city hall is an example of nastiness of the highest order.

Anyway, Gondek admits city hall communication was “much stronger” during the 2013 flood.

You think.

The mayor admits she cannot tell us the exact nature of the communication breakdown this time around but Gondek says things will get better.

“Absolutely,” says the mayor.

A lot of the outrage in the past few days has not been just about the water failure.

It has not just been about the lousy communication from the city, as the mayor now points out.

It has not been just about Gondek playing politics in the early going of this crisis, as the mayor has now concedes was a dumb move as she’s changed her tone on social media.

Gondek and city hall have squandered almost all of its political capital.

The level of trust is low, the scepticism is high.

The poll numbers reflect the public’s absolute lack of confidence in a mayor and a city council and a city hall who don’t get it until they are pushed and prodded and hit over the head.

So the mayor has said sorry. This is a good thing.

We will see how the rest of the week goes and one thing is certain.

I will not be deterred by those who believe any naysaying of the mayor, city council and city hall is just not appropriate.

We live in crazy times.

rbell@postmedia.com

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