Elected Official Orientation

Elected Official Orientation

Three things to take away from today:

• Choose your comfort level

• Use what’s out there

• Proceed with courage

Powerpoint rules

Your comfort level

• Administrative staff know the personalities

• What works for those personalities will be different everywhere

• Some elected officials, or some councils, are secure – others, not so much

• Your approach needs to fit the situation and what works for you

What can we do?

• Huge range of options for small and large communities

• Big city or small village, we can all do something to give our councillors and directors a look at the job that’s ahead of them

• Can start any time, before or after the election

Traditionally . . .

• We get started right away after the election ends

• Every administration has its own style of dealing with its political officials

It’s either this . . .

. . . or this . . .

. . . and not much in between

• But it doesn’t have to be that way

• With a good start we can be closer to the otters than the Somme

• And that can be a good thing.

What did we do last time?

• Not much – had turnover of only two councillors; one retired, one beaten for mayor

• One new councillor was a returnee

• The other made a study of council for three years prior to coming on board

• Offered orientation, no takers

What we did . . .

• We went out on a limb last time and put on a pre-election workshop for aspiring councillors

• Worked out OK, too

• No casualties!

How it worked

• Former mayor, retiring councillor addressed political aspects of the job

• Former CM discussed staff-council relations, administrative realities and other good stuff

• The clerk talked about processes, legalities, agendas (boooring)

• Good crowd

Our Organizational Chart (For This Week)

MAYORCoffeePersonAlderpeople

AlderpersonsMinute Maid

Standing Committees

Sitting Committees

Forgotten CommitteesAlderothers

Head of Dept. Heads & General Head Cheese

Spare DirectorIndirect Director

Director of a Few Things

Director of Some Things

Mysterious Important Person

Coffee & Lottery Fund Coordinator

Keeper of Keys

Manager of Memos

Duplicate Filer

Bulletin Board Boss

Clerk Jerk

Trainee Director

Leader Helper

Hockey Pool LeaderPlan Man

Custodian of Spare Offices

Assigner of Titles & Door Signs

Inventor of New Terminology

Pre-Programmer

Programmer

Scape Goat

Follower

Spert

Ex-Spert

What we want to avoid

. . . a fiasco

Olympian quits before he startsJamie KomarnickiCalgary HeraldWednesday, October 24, 2007Two-time Olympian, World Cup downhill champion and international motivational skier

Cary Mullen is quitting Chestermere town council before taking office.The commitment was greater than he anticipated, said Christa Haberstock, vice-president

of Mullen’s management company, who spoke on Mullen’s behalf.With 14 candidates running for councillor, Mullen clinched the sixth – and last – spot on

Chestermere council in the October 15 municipal election.He learned after the election that he wouldn’t be able to dial in to committee meetings

while his extensive travels keep him away, said Haberstock.“He is not one to do anything halfway,” said Haberstock.“He realized he wouldn’t be doing the community any justice. They needed someone who

was fully engaged.”The town will hold a byelection to fill the seat.It’s the first time chief administrative officer Terry Hurlbut has seen someone resign

before their first council meeting.“We’ll find someone who is more committed,” Hurlbut said.

Realism before idealism

Because we’re all friends here, we want to be totally fair to Mr. Mullen, who at least recognized that he wasn’t going to be able to fulfil his commitment to the town.

It would obviously have been better if he’d known what was required prior to getting elected.

Using what’s out there

• Lots of resources on line

• Staples McDannold Stewart has really useful guides that they post on their web site (www.sms.bc.ca)

• The UBCM (www.civicnet.bc.ca) has fact sheets that are used at the newly elected officials seminars

• Go to publications, then fact sheets

Call around for ideas

• There are lots of people around who will help you out

• I got lots of calls and lots of ideas, more than I could use, and I wasn’t even desperate

• That’s what we’re all here for

Proceed with courage

• Pick a course and go with it

• However you decide, chances are things will work out well – they usually do

• Otherwise this place would be a real mess!

If you’ll bear with me a moment . . .