They had meetings, gabfests, gettogethers, enclaves, conclaves, cogitation, deliberation and just plain arguments.
In compiling the City of North Vancouver's official community plan, staff spent three years listening to anyone who would talk about the city's future.
All told, city personnel canvassed about 4,600 residents.
It turns out they should've spent a little more time talking to the city's seven councillors, who couldn't arrive at consensus if they made a reservation.
The OCP went down in flames Monday night in a 4-3 split.
It would be easy to blast Mayor Darrell Mussatto and Couns. Craig Keating, Linda Buchanan and Guy Heywood for rendering the OCP DOA , but we're not sure that would be warranted.
Each councillor objected on legitimate grounds.
The OCP wouldn't have allowed homeowners both a coach house and a secondary suite. That was enough to raise the resistance of the Mussatto, Keating and Buchanan trio.
Heywood, an amalgamation proponent, called for more collaboration with the District of North Vancouver in crafting the OCP. We could bemoan the city's wasted resources and the wasted time of all those who took part, and we do.
But the good news is that all 4,600 residents whose ideas for the city's future perished with the doomed document have recourse.
City residents go to the polls in six weeks and the OCP just became a key election issue.
They don't have to talk about the city's future anymore. Now they can vote for it.
