If you thought council's ineptitude on how to restore the city's economic prospects couldn't go any lower, then the recent success of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce's Economic Summit is another nail in local government's coffin.

For the last 18 months, Hamilton politicians have deliberately abrogated their responsibility to do anything to help the city's faltering economy.

Except for being good-natured cheerleaders for programs the city long ago established such as the downtown renewal program, and providing a piddling $1.5 million for its economic development office, the mayor and councillors have demonstrated they would rather avoid the city's highest priority issue like red meat at a vegetarian dinner party.

It has left Hamilton's business community appalled and frustrated.

Since nature abhors a vacuum, the chamber and the business community are finally doing what they should have been doing a lot sooner - energizing this community to re-tool itself for what is expected to be drastic and draconian business and lifestyle changes in the global marketplace.

Since 2006, the business community - along with the city's economic development staff - have tried to encourage, cajole and argue politicians that to ignore the city's stagnating economy is political suicide for them, and a moral failure to their own constituents. Yet councillors still only pay lip service to the idea of doing something for the economy, while leaving the issue fallow.

To the chagrin of some politicians, the Hamilton Civic Coalition, a group of business and community leaders, was formed early last year dedicated to establishing a strategic economic direction for the city's future.

Due to its influential membership, councillors couldn't help but take notice. Now the group has received city approval - as if it needed it - and has morphed into the Jobs Prosperity Collaborative in an effort, led by entrepreneur Mark Chamberlain, late of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, to create a framework on how revamp the city's economy.

Not to be outdone, the Chamber of Commerce, long criticized for staying in the background and avoiding any confrontation with a sclerotic council, is now voicing its disapproval of a city lost in spatial minutiae by creating its own economic development strategy. The first step in the process was holding its first Economic Summit at Ancaster's Old Mill which was a resounding success.

"We are not trying to supplant council and the city," said Hamilton Chamber of Commerce President Tyler MacLeod. "There are some staff and some councillors who are doing a great job. But we need a stronger vision."

The summit, attended by about 125 influential people, is the first step in what will be a strategic vision to boost the city's economic prospects. And the summit not only attracted the usual suspects - businessmen, politicians and city staff - but also participating were social services people, immigrant relocation officials and charitable organizations. The message was clear - economic development affects every person and cuts into all organizations across the city and not just Dofasco or McMaster University.

And where was the city's leadership? Doing what they have grown so accustomed to do: sitting on the sidelines cheering on the home team applauding someone else taking the risk and making the winning plays.

It is a sad state of Hamilton's affairs when your political representatives are only interested in how long your car idles, or what not to put on your lawn. And even when the city's politicians attempt to do something - such as save the Lister Block - they somehow get stuck in the bureaucratic bubblegum only to emerge covered in sticky stuff.

And you can be sure that council will be at the front of the line, applauding the loudest it can for any successes the chamber or and the Jobs Prosperity Committee create. But it is the sound of one-hand clapping for all the good that body has contributed to the success of this city.