City Council: Consensus by Acquiescence

Council 2011
Before the last municipal election, several councilors - presuming to be returned for another 3 years as a matter of course - express hope that new additions will inject fresh blood, energy, vision - life - into the next Council.

Some would call this downright disingenuous drum-beating by/for the circle of the wise. After all - first - how can you be sure of being reelected, particularly - second - as you in a roundabout way admit not being up to the job any longer! In an off-moment Councilor Kozak refers to a councilor's shelf-life.
New councilors - on top of having to learn the job on the job - carrying left-over councilors for the coming 3 years is an appalling thought. Possibly with no blood to spare, and what if they themselves get anemic in the process and possibly because of listless support from the left-overs. This conceivably well before the end of the coming term! Then what!

Not much what! Look at it!

Except for 1 - all those wanting to go it another round are reelected. Not because of their desirability but because there are only 2 possibles standing-by - and somebody's gotta do it! But these 2 - indeed - promise something new.

Candace Batycki: with the environmentally-friendly picture of her in a kayak on the lake - grey hair aflow - Mother Earth come City Hall. We've got context!
Paula Kiss: young and apple-cheek-outdoorsy - finally a live one! - promising regular cafe-get-togethers with the great unwashed. One of us - could it be!
We read of both directly only once - after a year into their turn - in a 2-part interview - Nelson Daily, Dec. 2012 - and although they may have originated stuff since then: we wouldn't know - they're not telling. By now having nicely blended into Council-Chamber-beige. With get-togethers gone where campaign-promises go after.

In my experience this is the only time ever a media-connect of some depth is established between the public and Council: as a rule Council does not volunteer, and the Nelson Star - primary printed-news provider - as a rule does not probe.

Council 2013
So what does it all look like today with 1 more year to go? How tired is tired now: over 2 years after announcing fatigue? Have the 2 newest members in fact juiced-up Council? Become instrumental in making the group an energetic, cohesive force working for OUR betterment? Are there now strong individual voices, opinions coming from moral commitment? Are there now open debates based on these commitments: leading to consensus anchored in a clear vision? 

Let me count the nays!

For those at City Hall who may tut-tut over these questions - an additional set presents itself: Why isn't the public kept informed - let alone to the contrary? Why is there still next to no connect between Council and the public? Why does Council still not seek public participation in the decision-making process - seeing that its members sought office to ostensibly do for the good of the Whole?


As-A-Whole
Public participation is not allowed in Public Council Meetings and not encouraged in the Committee Of The Whole (COW). The Whole not quite. Having to connect with people other than those on City Hall's 2nd floor can be unpredictable, messy for Council. So - better not!

In meetings councilors may become relatively! animated when topics concern inanimate objects: these are safe. Issues of direct human consequence demanding personal choice - moral issues - are not: they tend to make councilors switch-off.
Example: A while ago - in the same COW - councilors come alive over whether a bit of sidewalk to nowhere somewhere in the hills should be surfaced with concrete or crushed granite. Lusty toing-and-froing goes on forever, with the result: the issue is referred back to staff for further exploration. Outsiders may call this a complete waste of too much time.
Then what has been turning more and more into the City's Onagawa-disaster-relief disaster gets less than 5 minutes from the mayor - and not a word from Council.

In-Part
Council inexplicably-or-not does not have an official spokesperson to communicate inside-goings-on to the outside.
Although this may seem to be Councilor Macdonald - consistently the go-to person for the media. This seemingly based in her consistently having more to say in meetings than the other councilors. Often prompted to do so by the mayor(!?!). So she appears - appears! - to be more concerned by being better informed, prepared. Visibly/aurally - thus printably - present: her strategic points made.
This automatically makes the others seem less concerned or at least less well-informed/prepared. Less than.

Since no strong individual points of view are presented convincingly by any of them: consensus usually comes from let's not rock anybody's boat and just get this over with. City Hall expediency.

Councilors never ever voice a strong opinion outside the Council Chamber either. I mean what - if anything - do you really feel about issues like Tasers, the Nelson Commons? What motivates you? What do you originate? Is what stops you lack of concern or being tired of it all or fear of not being liked on the 2nd floor or possible outside-consequences to personal agendas? Not hearing/reading from them as people directly and clearly inside/outside - we really haven't a clue of what they are doing, could be capable of doing individually. Thus lump them all together as - Council. And that frequently with a negative tinge - deserved or not.

The Whole
City Hall knows that the hard-copy newspaper is the most effective local information-medium. Thus the Council Column in the Star could be the major space for individual councilors regularly presenting themselves decisively, definitively to a wide audience - but no! It's sporadic bits and pieces and nothing of consequence we don't know already. We've been so hard at work and wasn't summer fun!

To make ALL councilors more visible, encourage them ALL to be all-around informed at all times, then participate pro-actively: I suggest designating 1 councilor spokesperson for 1 month - according to a fixed rotation-schedule. Only this councilor deals with news-media within his/her month. Immediately after the 2 meetings also writing Council Columns: high points and in-depth looks at projected consequences of decisions to be made or already made. Coming from the official base and adding a personal perspective.
The Columns always announcing dates of up-coming Public Council Meetings and COWs. Inviting the public's attendance at these meetings and feedback to the Star!

There will be substantial shifting on the 2nd floor come next election - a short year from now. Establishing the connection above will introduce councilors in  clear work-mode to the electorate. The councilors' focused public exposure will make the public feel part of the overall process and just may become the  deciding factor in reelection-bids or bids for vertical advancement. 
While introducing the job in hands-on-mode to potential councilors as well.




So simple! What could be better than: all of us together!