“Raucous” would be one way to describe the first Cochrane town council meeting of 1950.
Cochrane Public Library archivist Ardis Proulx-Chedore found a report from the Northland Post that says the meeting dragged on past 11:00pm because of several contentious issues. One of them was a motion to end meetings before 11:00pm.
Another was aimed at overriding a public decision in a 1949 referendum that rejected paying councillors.
“A motion was adopted Tuesday night that members of the council be paid five dollars per meeting attended in 1950 and the mayor ten dollars per meeting attended,” Proulx-Chedore recites.
“Mayor R.R. Mitchell almost rubbed his eyes when the motion was tabled,” she continues. “It was contrary to the vote of he people, he pointed out, and I would very strongly recommend that it be turned down. When the motion was put to a vote, however, it was carried. The mayor registered his opposition on the record and stated that he would not accept any pay, regardless of any decision that might be made.”
The archives at the library are open Friday afternoons between noon and 3:00pm.