The Gazette sat down with St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse for a year-end "fireside chat" to discuss the highlights of 2010 and the challenges that lie ahead in 2011. This is the second in a two-part series.
Is there a top priority in your mind for 2011?
"I believe we are going to have to establish the vision of the community centre. We're due for that.
"There's another top priority which is the future of policing. What's the policing model look like? This no-call-too-small thinking that is the basis of our policing, I'd like to personally be able to maintain that but I don't know yet about the ability to afford extra policing."
How is the new council shaping up in your mind?
"It's a council that's penetrating, very sharp, engaged, educated. I find them, as a group, to be very much up to speed. You've got a group of four new councillors who, all of them, have had significant levels of engagement in civic stuff.
"We haven't been through any real difficult public hearings or difficult issues yet. I don't know how we'll handle those things when they come up but through the budget it was an easy group to be with."
What did the budget process reveal to you about the council?
"The willingness to learn. The willingness to penetrate. The willingness to question. Not prepared to accept status quo. The willingness to make decisions, to put forward ideas, to be creative.
"Nobody's a pushover when it comes to any matter. Every matter is fair game for everybody."
What are the strengths of each individual councillor?
"Cam [MacKay] is very studied. He's well read and has a fiscal conservative tendency. [He's] prepared to make tough decisions or put forward tough motions.
"Len Bracko is extremely dedicated to long term, serves the greater good for the long term, continues to be willing to serve the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as well as 10, 20, 30, 40 year visions, and is not scared of that."
"Roger Lemieux brings a level of practicality to everything he does. He's committed to just being grounded in everything, nothing too large. Roger has an extreme amount of balance on council."
"Wes [Brodhead] has demonstrated very good willingness to listen and to always be a voice of reason. Wes brings a level of credibility because he's sat on boards, also served with the city of Edmonton, so he has a high degree of knowledge and credibility on public service.
"Cathy Heron, she's as hard a worker as I've seen on council. Fully prepared, fully involved.
"Since the election, she's accepted this as a full-time job. She's dedicating her full-time effort to public service."
"Malcolm [Parker] has brought an economic development hat. Most of what he's talking about is customer service, economic development and the corporation serving the community. He's also fiscally conservative."
With the budget out of the way, what is the most pressing issue this council must address?
"The future of policing. We're going to have a workshop on Jan. 4 regarding communication. Should we change the communication protocols, public engagement policies, public consultation policies? Do we change anything toward communication between the corporation and interest groups? And then do we change anything relative between the communication of the corporation and council and the community in general?
"A pressing priority will be to make sure that the 150th [anniversary] is supported by council and the community for 12 months. We have a role to make sure that nothing goes sideways."
Do you have a sense what issue will define this council?
"I don't have that sense yet. We haven't really finished our priority and planning work. There are going to be some hot button issues. I think policing will be a key issue but how the public defines that I don't know. Probably too early for me to tell."
Why do you think this council can be productive?
"Level of involvement, level of understanding, level of engagement, intelligence. Council has a high level of knowledge in community and civic matters and as a result of that we will make good decisions throughout. I just believe that."
Does the public understand that council's role is to provide governance or is the public expecting that council is running the city's day-to-day operations?
"I think you'd find that the majority of the public would say that. The majority of the public view me as a city employee as well. I'm not a city employee. I'm an employee of the community, different than the corporate staff who are employees of the city.
"I'm a community representative; I also represent the corporation at times. So I think you would find that the community in general would be confused as to what my role is.
"Running the city infers that you're coming in, you're directing traffic every day. There are many people out in the community who know the difference but there would not be wide understanding that there's a differentiation."
Does that present challenges?
"It does because you venture into management by sheer force of community expectations and if you don't then you're not representing the people who are asking you to get involved.
"You are the face to the community and you must therefore act the face to the community. You have to put the rulebook aside for the moment at times."
Now that you're in your second term as mayor, what is your motivation?
"I'm motivated by continual improvement. I want to see better trees and better parks and better snow removal, a better river, better volunteerism and a corporation that serves the community to make all those things happen."
What's in your political future?
"Mayor of St. Albert and that's the truth. I don't have any interest in anything else other than [being] the mayor of St. Albert."
Do you have another term in mind?
"I haven't even thought about it."
