Belleville City Hall. (File photo: Quinte News)
A bid to establish a registry to track who is lobbying Belleville city councillors didn’t get off the ground this week at city council.
Councillor Paul Carr introduced a motion calling for a staff report on a Lobbyist Registry.
Carr tells Quinte News it’s important there’s accountability, and the public should know who is influencing ideas.
A number of councillors argued against such a registry, some referring to “red tape” and extra staff time.
The city is already investigating an Integrity Commissioner role.
The Lobbyist Registry motion was defeated on a vote of five to four, with Councillors Jackie Denyes, Mike Graham, Jack Miller, Garnet Thomson and Mayor Taso Christopher voting against.
