Prior to our recent residency in the fine city of St. Albert, we lived in Fort McMurray, now referred to as Wood Buffalo. Apart from my regular career in the energy business, I was campaign manager for one of Alberta's longest-serving city councillors, Ro
Ron's legacy included a 10-point guide he used to mentor new councillors, who were grateful for his advice. Ron was proud to have personally met five of Canada's prime ministers. The Gazette has kindly allowed me to share his city council guide, very appropriate, we feel, to current and future candidates for forthcoming election in St. Albert.
1. You are first and foremost a representative of the taxpayers of the municipality who elected you. You do not represent special interest groups who may take extreme measures to have you act or vote on their behalf. Listen to your taxpayers, and analyze all their concerns. Listen with empathy and respond within a reasonable time. Do not promise what you cannot deliver.
2. Do all your homework before each meeting and do not ask superficial questions that take up useless time on council. Preview the council agenda, do your preparation, give advance notice of your intent to ask particular questions so that the chair/mayor or city management can have an answer ready.
3. Study the Municipal Government Act and regulations. Study the bylaws. Develop a business relationship with the city management and staff but never interfere with city business directly as that is the bailiwick of the city manager. Never cause embarrassment to city management or staff or in fact any council colleague.
4. Seek out and clarify any issues brought to council where a vote is required. Never vote on issues where doubt exists, and especially where financial costs and obligations add constraints to taxpayers. Never stay silent and afterwards be a quarterback. Insist that issues involving finance be transparent to all. Analyze pitfalls and beware of political terminology from hidden agendas. All councils meet them both from external and internal sources.
5. On all financial matters, basic accounting knowledge is mandatory. Take time outside of council to review with the chair or city management or financial officers all matters and line items covered by annual, monthly or short-term budgets. Beware of items that add little value to the municipality. Clarify from sub-committees definitions of line items and their purpose. Annual budgets are the most important issues of council. Do your homework. Beware of fast-tracking colleagues who may have special interests. Speak out constructively.
6. Determine from the chair what his or her expectations are for the relationship between 'councillors and the media.' To explain, the media may from time to time approach you for comments on a particular issue. Do you have the authority to respond? Are there confidential issues you may have to respect? Determine from a general council meeting what these constraints are, if any.
7. Respect all questions in council from all members, even if you think the question is inappropriate. Let the chair respond. Respect all members' points of view, even if you wholly disagree. Suggest alternatives. There is no such thing as a dumb question, only a dumb answer.
8. The public demands complete transparency of business. Only a few contractual or human resource or personnel issues may be debated in camera. The media and/or the public will immediately sniff out any hidden agendas. Avoid them completely. Invoke open and honest debate. Publish all financial reports and audited budgets.
9. Do not grandstand. What that means is that you are not the issue. Services to the municipal taxpayers are the issues. Be prepared to vote out any issues that do not add value to the community or are excessively costly to the taxpayer. Never stay silent, but avoid hogging meeting time.
10. Review what other municipalities are doing. Compare business and services and tax base. Clarify 'apples and oranges.' What does the market say? What do the taxpayers say? Attend regional meetings. Make yourself available to your taxpayers. Do not respond immediately to issues until you have studied them. Discuss any complex issues with others. You can be an excellent speaker, but the much superior skill is to be an excellent listener.
Bert MacKay, St Albert
