SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The chairman of the city's heritage committee is apologizing to its members for missing the last three meetings and says he'll decide his future in the position after a meeting next week.

Mike Vaydik, former chairman of the city's heritage committee, said its members are upset at the seeming disconnect between their efforts and city administration and council. - Shane Magee/NNSL photo

At the committee's June 17 meeting, members asked that Coun. Phil Moon Son be replaced as chairman given his attendance record.

"As a councillor, I feel the buck stops with me," Moon Son told Yellowknifer. "I have apologized to the committee and I have been trying to do my best to help them through some of their concerns to the best of my ability."

He sees two issues coming together regarding the heritage committee: his attendance and the structural changes that the city made to the committee earlier this year.

Mike Vaydik, the man Moon Son replaced as chairman, recently met with Mayor Mark Heyck asking for an explanation of city council approved changes to the committee.

"It was more a cry for help," Vaydik said. He was chairman for about three years before becoming a regular member.

The hub-bub boils down to a breakdown in communication and engagement with the committee and city staff and council over an extended period, according to Vaydik.

He alleged that when the committee requests things like a better committee page on the city website or help getting plaques ready to install at historic sites around the city, the requests get "lost in city administration."

Vaydik was told in April changes had been made to the rules of the committee including requiring a councillor to be chairman.

Because Coun. Adrian Bell had left the committee, Moon Son became chairman by default. The attendance of councillors wasn't great even before the changes, Vaydik said, adding that he knows councillors are busy with their full-time jobs and other council work. The councillors and the mayor are part of the committee to link its activities back to council.

Other city committees act in an advisory role to council, Bell said, however the heritage committee has its own budget it can spend on things like plaques for historic buildings or Heritage Week activities.

Without a councillor or the mayor at the meeting, there's a lack of co-ordination between the group and city hall, Vaydik said.

Moon Son said he's had work and family-related commitments that have kept him from meetings.

The restructuring of the committee and what it means remains murky to Vaydik.

"We haven't really had any explanation," he said.

The committee asked for someone from the city to present to council about the changes, he said, but the person expected to attend didn't show up.

Vaydik repeatedly emphasized he's not trying to cast blame on any one person regarding what he sees as the issues with the committee.

Bell told Yellowknifer that council sought changes because there was a desire to have more oversight of the group's spending.

The heritage committee has the ability to provide money to third parties but with less oversight than the grant committee. It has built up a surplus of around $120,000.

"Residents would expect that councillors and the mayor would scrutinize what the committee is spending on," he said.

However, he said the impact the changes to the committee rules would have on its members likely wasn't fully appreciated by city staff and councillors when they approved the changes.

Vaydik said committee members have floated the idea of making the committee independent of the city.

That's something Bell agreed is, "definitely a conversation worth having."

However, Vaydik hopes things go a different route.

"I think everyone would prefer if we could work out our problems with the city," Vaydik said.

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