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Councillors Michele Rule, Charlie Hodge and Graeme James during a vote Monday. The empty seat next to James will be filled in the Nov. 28 by-election. (Photo Adrian Nieoczym)
In order for a city councillor to be effective, “you have to know how council conducts its business,” said Barrie Clark, the one-time talk show host and MLA who also spent three terms on Kelowna’s city council.
“I’ve remarked regularly over the years that I’m astounded that people run for council who have never shown up in the council chamber,” to see how council operates, he added.
Clark went on to say that people contemplating a run for council should talk to current councillors about the issues of the day. “If you’ve never picked up the phone and talked to a councillor about the issues in this city, you really haven’t got a clue what’s going on.”
Clark said it helps if would-be councillors have already spent time on city committees like the Advisory Planning Commission, a nine-member panel that holds public hearings and makes recommendations to council on community and neighborhood plans, zoning applications and development permits.
“This is all time consuming but after all, you are prepared to undertake a pretty responsible position and you better know what you’re doing.”
According to Clark, once you get elected, it’s not enough to just show up at city hall with good ideas. You have to know how things get done.
City councils are creatures of the province. The jurisdictions, powers and procedures of municipal governments are set out in the community charter passed by the B.C. legislature.
“You need to be relatively familiar with the community charter. Now you can pick that up over the months and years but you are operating under very specific legislation,” said Clark.
And of course, no councillor can get anything done on their own. “How do you get things done? You’ve got to persuade a majority of council to your point of view,” said Clark. “Consensus is very important.”
And getting consensus means being receptive to other councillors concerns and developing positive relationships with them, even when you disagree with their positions.
To help you decide whether the candidates running in the Nov. 28 by-election are up to the task, we asked them, “What is the job of a city councillor in your opinion?”
Their answers are listed in random order: Kevin Craig, Andrew Uitvlugt, Mark Thompson, Todd Sanderson, Clayton Kessler, Matthew Reed, Vern Nielsen, Ernie Patterson, Mary-Ann Graham, Michael Loewen and Rocky Mix.
Kim Ouellette, James Murphy, Dennis Rojem and Valerie Hallford did not reply to the questionnaire.
Related story: Meet your candidates
Kevin Craig
Having attended two years’ worth of council meetings, I have gained a clearer understanding of a councillor’s role. Councillors make decisions about small changes in land use and development every week, and these small changes add up very quickly to shape the overall growth of the city.
In addition, Council is responsible for ensuring that municipal services such as waste collection, sewage treatment, parks and recreation are being delivered to an adequate level and in a fiscally responsible manner. Finally, a Councillor must frequently engage the public in discussion about where our city should be headed long-term, and what can be improved about local government and its services. Councillors should be constantly looking for feedback and insight from residents to ensure they are in touch with the public’s priorities.
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Tags: by-election, candidates, Kelowna
