Transparency around Stars and Thunder became a heated discussion at City Council.
Last night, council heard a report from CAO Dave Landers stating that a councillor committee for the eight day event is not recommended and he and the mayor will update council on anything they want to hear, other than the artist line-up.
Councillor Noella Rinaldo says she wants more structure on who is in charge of what aspect of the festival. Rinaldo says she doesn’t know who is running the show, whether it’s a city employee, committee person, or the CAO.
She says she is unsure if the event is being organized by the city or a festival committee. Rinaldo adds that if there is a committee, she doesn’t believe Mayor Steve Black should be the committee chair.
Black says he currently is the Festival Chair, but that is more of a ceremonial name. He says he does have a lot of input on the festival, like he does on multiple items at city hall on a daily basis.
Rinaldo says going forward there needs to be more structure to ensure best practices are in place.
Black says for now, he will provide council with a list of the 30 committees involved and their chairs.