Why YOU shouldn't run for City Council!

As Donna Macdonald - self-appointed City Hall Doyenne - makes guiding points for prospective Council candidates in her

COLUMN: Seven months and counting!
                                       Nelson Star, Mar 21, 2018,

the subheading -
It's time for candidates to Google search -
bypasses warts-and-all self-assessment, necessary for presenting an up-front on all fronts persona within a City Hall context - before the election. Later building on that persona - if elected. 
Ideally.
A strong vision of themselves as effective Councillors from the beginning. 

I don't remember seeing possible candidates for the current and previous Council in meetings months prior. 
Even once candidates ...

What their desire/need/whatever to 'serve' was actually based on is the proverbial anybody's guess. Certainly not connected to close observation of Council at work - collectively/individually.
Therefore one may question how much they actually knew first-hand about what they were aiming to get themselves into. 

After being elected wasting much time getting the hang of the job. This - including expected to work within City Hall's 2nd Floor feudal system - had them dither for ages. Has.

Anyway - what Macdonald and several how-to-papers/videos - this time around - suggest is having "aspiring councillors" (Councillor Purcell incorrectly identifying would-be candidates when commenting on Macdonald's column) nudged along with self-evident running-for-local-office P.R. to learn how to be generic Councillors together - respectfully. Agreeing to be agreeable, not (wanting) to rock anyone's boat.

Motivation here not the driving force.

 

 

Ideally - would-be candidates and candidates (Councillors as a matter of course) simply fall back on - integrity. This single necessary point of reference to be held close in any situation during election and at City Hall.
Where decision-making largely plays-out in 2nd-Floor domination-games. A double-whammy consistently to be dealt with: for newbies usually a major shock to the naive concept of their contribution to saving the world. Locally.

Also - Smallishtown politics are personal, as is Smallishtown business, and what with both snuggling with each other: everybody has an agenda to protect and further.
Surviving at and after City Hall.
Integrity intacta?

None of this found on Google or touched-on by Macdonald.

A simple and effective way to help determine whether-or-not you are suited for a Councillor's work is this:
1.
Make a deal with yourself to go to every Council Meeting from now on - 2 per month - plus any other City-originated event.
Every meeting - the whole meeting. Regardless of your level of interest: showing some nonetheless!
See and be seen. 
Possibly heard.

Watching a Council Meeting on your computer from the comfort of your couch - now possible - is hardly the same as actually being in the (usually overheated, poorly ventilated) Council Chamber. Observing Councillors inter/reacting-or-not. For 2 hours plus.

Part of your commitment here - integrity!? - would need to be getting out of the house - weather and all. Adding another hour going/coming.

Councillors have no choice - no matter how much they also would rather not go. 

2.
If you - after a few meetings - start having excuses for not wanting to/being able to go or just admit you are bored, you must consider this:
Councillors need to attend every open Council Meeting plus the many closed to the public, as well as strings of committee-meetings - for 4 looong years. Not just sitting there like you - doing stuff, too! Piles of mind-numbing stuff!
3.
So - if attending just a couple of meetings bores you - be honest now! - don't waste the public's goodwill by having yourself elected! Getting the job can be relatively easy. Doing it could turn into one tedious, dragged-out bitch you can't get out of!  
With significant reverberations for the Whole.

   

Those who ran last time, didn't make it and want to run again: shouldn't assume they know the routine. Clearly they don't! As in - where are they now? Why aren't they out there?

If you can realistically align your personal strengths (and weaknesses) with White Fortress doings (keenly observed/evaluated over months!), and you still want to run: show us what you've got!

Giving us time to get to know you well before the election - without not-again! enough-already! election-speechifying.

Votes for you will follow!




Image Credits: 
Keith Haring
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Deb Kozak, Mayor
dkozak@nelson.ca

City Council
nelsoncouncil@nelson.ca