Ch.15, Pt.4: The council chambers were full…
The council chambers were full of people. Katherine stood in the doorway and looked around, bewildered. She was supposed to meet Clara here. The room was round, with ranks of curving benches that sloped gently down to the oval table in the centre of the floor. Several people sat around the table, busy with papers. Katherine shifted her gaze, trying to identify people by the backs of their heads. Perhaps Clara hadn’t arrived yet. Gradually the swarming mass of people settled down before her eyes and she began to distinguish individual heads and features. Then over on the left side of the chambers, she suddenly saw Rick.
Her first reaction was relief at recognizing a familiar face in the crowd, and she longed to join him. Then she felt the old knife blade of pain. Yet she couldn’t help studying him. He looked great. He was wearing the same suit he had worn to her New Year’s Eve dinner party, such a short time ago. His only decent suit, he had said. It felt odd to Katherine to know this detail of his wardrobe. He sat in a clump of similarly-dressed men. All men, Katherine observed. Must be his investors and supporters. All looked reasonably handsome and successful, like lawyers and stock brokers, people who make money and rule the world. She dragged her eyes away. Her group would not be sitting over there.
On the other side of the chambers was a motley group of assorted people. Not a power suit in sight. Plenty of plaid shirts and dark sweaters. One very wide woman even wore a pink sweatshirt. A wheelchair was parked at the back, its occupant leaning over, talking to the person beside him. A young man with long hair and a very large nose was standing up, passing out papers to the people around him. Katherine sighed. Was this group likely to win out over the privileged big boys?
Then Katherine spotted Clara in the middle of the rough and tumble group. There even seemed to be a space on the bench beside her. Was she saving a seat for her? When Katherine waved at Clara from the aisle, Clara’s face brightened and she picked up her cardigan from the space beside her and pointed to it. Katherine squeezed past people and sat beside Clara. All around her, people were chattering and passing papers. Her neighbour handed her a clipboard with a list of names and addresses, and Katherine added hers. “Why am I doing this?” she asked Clara. “I’m not sure I belong here.”
“It’s just an attendance sheet, so we can keep track of interested people,” she explained. “Let me introduce you to some people.” Clara leaned back and got her neighbour’s attention. Katherine nodded and shook hands, and met many other people around her, but was unable to remember any names. A woman in front of her turned around and offered peppermints. Clara stood up and gave a newspaper clipping to the guy with long hair. Katherine was overwhelmed by the activity, but no longer felt alone.
“Attention everyone, let’s begin,” said the man at the head of the oval table. Instantly there were shushing noises and people turned their attention to the front. “We appreciate the number of people in attendance tonight, and realize that most of you are here regarding the issue of the Highlands rezoning application —“
“Proposed Highlands,” someone heckled.
“— and we have moved this matter to the top of the agenda, but we have some Council business to attend to first, and we would appreciate your accommodation. We’ll try not to take too much time on that.” The mayor put his hand over his microphone and turned to the councillors at the table. A buzz of conversation lifted all around Katherine. “Already they’re talking as if it’s a done deal,” protested the woman on Katherine’s left.
“All right then. The first item is the acceptance of the minutes of the last meeting,” continued the mayor. Routine details were discussed at the front, and Katherine sat back and relaxed, sucking her peppermint. She peered past her camp over to Rick’s group and saw him nodding his head as the man next to him leaned toward his ear. She remembered the warm texture of his earlobe on her tongue and quickly turned to face the front. Council business continued to be discussed for several minutes. Katherine noticed a man down the bench from her reading a newspaper.
“Now as to the matter of the rezoning application by The Highlands Incorporated.,” said the mayor and everyone lifted their heads and put their papers away. “We have received an application to rezone 540 acres of agricultural land north of the city to estate residential, and are prepared to hear a statement from the proponents.”
One of the lawyer types stood up holding a wad of papers. “We have a written summation of our proposal to develop The Highlands into prime residential real estate and parklands. I believe Council has a copy.”
“We don’t have a copy,” someone called from Katherine’s side.
The mayor looked annoyed. “You will have your turn to speak later. But Mr. James, perhaps you can give us a summary of the proposal.”
“I’ll do my best. I may need my colleagues to provide some of the details. But basically, most of the landowners between the fifth and sixth concessions, north of the 10th sideroad, have agreed to develop The Highlands, which will feature 250 exclusive residences plus several neighbourhood parks. We have a map showing the details of the plan, which we’d like to submit to Council. This development will be good for the city, as it will increase property tax revenues and create a local boom in the economy as all these families will be shopping locally for everything from weekly groceries to big-ticket items like appliances.”
Katherine listened in fascination as the project was described just as Rick had talked about it. It seemed to be real and not just some scheme, the way it was seriously referred to as The Highlands, with a corporation behind it. But incorporated or not, it was a terrible idea and had to be stopped.