A Curious Pre-Election Phenomenon: the Municipal “Pause”

By Lorri Matthewson

A few months before the election, sometimes 5 or 6 months ahead of the election, Councils begin delaying their important decisions for the next Council. While Council is stalling at the conference table, the day-to-day decisions falls to the administration. They remain responsible for keeping the community compliant and managing risk. They prepare reports that people may not even read, and keep the wheels on the wagon until the new Council gets on its feet. That can take months. Between the old council checking out and the new one getting used to its role, that leaves communities on their own, ungoverned. Sometimes for a year, sometimes more.

The need for the work continues. There are still policies that need updating, training that needs to be booked, the CAO still needs direction, and the legislation doesn’t provide for the trend to take a break because there is an election. Taking that break stalls the work.

Steady leadership matters right until the end.

Now there are a few legitimate, defensible and legally sound reasons a council might temporarily delay certain decisions. A Council may, for example, choose not to sign a multi-year contract with a consultant, to leave the newly elected Council some choice over who they may want to work with in the future. I am, however, referring to those Councillors who start delaying decisions on policy, training and such, for the new Council, when their existing council still has months to work.

“Let the next council decide” is in effect if not intent the same as “I no longer want to be responsible.” And that is not fair to those who elected you.