When Good Intentions Become Bad Governance: How New Councillors Get It Wrong

By Lorri Matthewson

By the time the election signs come down, every newly elected councillor is eager to make a difference. The challenge is that enthusiasm for the role is not the same thing as understanding the role.

Councils everywhere struggle, not because councillors don't care, but because some never really understand what they were elected to do. It's not their fault either; the system is set up to be confusing. Candidates run based on things they want to change, only to find out that unless they can get the rest of the Council to agree, they cannot change anything.

Councils represent their population at the table where they make decisions as a group. Individual councillors have no authority, regardless of what they promised during the campaign. They can only champion their cause at the table, and the Council's vote determines the actual outcomes, and then the plan is handed to the CAO. The CAO directs the employees. The Council cannot direct the staff other than the CAO.

I know that doesn't sit well with the "we pay your wages with our taxes" crowd, who think they are entitled to be the sole source of direction because they participated in the vote, but the cold, hard truth is that councillors serve their province as a first-step, front-line municipal government that exists to provide services within their legislated role. They make decisions on behalf of the rest of us, guided by their CAO, who should provide the appropriate reference material.

Council is legislated to the eyeballs with rules and regulations. Our say, as voters, is limited to taking part in the election, getting involved in community engagement and public forums, and lodging our complaints at the Town Office following the process the staff set out for us. We are not entitled to use councillors as whipping boys and girls because "we pay their salaries." Likewise, we are not entitled to boss around the staff either. That is the CAO's job. I mean, we pay a lot of salaries with our tax dollars. I dare you to walk into any other public service and behave that way. Only in municipal governance is that kind of abuse tolerated.

Bitching about our council, or our town, or workers on social media does absolutely nothing to solve the municipal problems, even though it is at times entertaining. Nothing gets shared around about your town like a dispute amongst the residents. As government, our elected officials couldn't deal with your complaints online like that if they wanted to. Nope. In fact, there is legislation that expressly forbids it, and a decision made outside of the legislated authority is risky. Council sets direction and policy as a group in the chamber. Administration manages operations and employees. If we have a problem, there is usually a process.

And then, there are some councillors who think they have the authority to make decisions on the fly without taking it back to Council. They think they were elected to personally solve every resident complaint, particularly in their division, or if it someone who says they voted for them. And the residents are happy to skip the town office and go right to a councillor, because somehow, they think that doing so, gets it to the Council table better. I think if people knew how often that happened, that if they knew that the real reason some councillors avoid public events is to avoid the inundation of complaints, they would understand better that taking it to the town office is the better way. It is the only fair way, really, once you understand that all of the different opinions get taken into consideration when all sides are represented at the table. And when you corner a councillor nothing much happens.

Councils that take their obligation for fair policy seriously have the upper hand when it comes to making fair decisions. But when a policy doesn't exist, it is up to the CAO to bring that forth to Council. That way, Council can weigh in on how they want a situation handled, for the person it directly affects, and for others who come later with a similar problem. Policy, resolution, motions, and bylaws are the only ways Council has to assert their authority. Otherwise, they make decisions on a case by case basis, and are subject to allegations of bias, conflict of interest and other icks that can occur when process is ignored.

Some candidates run on promises without understanding municipal powers, legislative restrictions, budgets, or provincial requirements, and then spend the first year trying to bully their way through. Because they gave their word without understanding how their authority works, and they are understandably determined to keep their word, they can, sometimes become an unbendable, wholly ineffective seat at the table. That can way the whole council down and then nothing gets done.

And...they way underestimate the conflict of interest rules. Councillors can get into real hot water by not understanding their obligation to know and follow those rules.

Or they assume the mayor or reeve or head of Council is the boss, or the tie-breaking vote. Not so; never has been, and something you only really see in smaller populations. While the mayor, reeve, or head of council may have additional responsibilities, they are, in fact, one vote, same as everyone else at the table. They vote on every decision; they do not break ties. Under the legislation, a tie vote is a motion defeated. There is no need to put all of that authority under one vote; the legislation already has a perfectly good guideline in place.

New Councillors are sometimes focused on tax rates and do not understand reserves, capital planning, asset management, and operating costs. Cutting taxes means cutting services, jobs, and programs. It is not like the CAO is sitting on a bag of money just to take advantage of us hardworking folks. Every dollar has a home, and every tax cut hurts. Most people don't know that their tax dollars are heavily subsidized by government per capita programs, and their tax dollars don't even cover all of the operating expenses. Something to think about if you think "I pay taxes" entitles you to bully public servants.

New Councillors can sometimes fall into the trap that being transparent means that you share everything because taxpayers have a right to know. Except they do not. Privacy acts legislation and confidentiality agreements make it clear what can be shared and what cannot, what has to be shared and what doesn't. Our vote doesn't entitle us to things that are just "nunya". As in "nunya business." Some councillors cost their communities a lot of cash when they are sued for sharing information that violates an important rule or regulation.

I could go on, but it's fair to say new councillors sometimes underestimate how much there is to learn. Ignoring orientation or training, assuming you don't have to follow it because you are working for a small population, or you don't need it is a mistake, and your fine people who voted for you to have a seat at the table pay the price. Literally.

Despite all of that, we are fortunate that people still put their names on the ballot. Municipal government is not easy work. It comes with long meetings, difficult decisions, public scrutiny, and a steep learning curve that few fully appreciate until they are sitting at the table. Every experienced councillor was once new, learning the legislation, the process, and the responsibility that comes with representing an entire community. To those newly elected councillors, welcome. Ask questions, attend the training, keep an open mind, and give yourself permission to learn. Your community needs your energy, your ideas, and your commitment. Thank you for stepping forward to serve, for accepting the responsibility entrusted to you by your neighbours, and for being willing to do the often unseen work of local government. We may not always agree with every decision you make, but your willingness to participate in the democratic process and contribute to the future of your community deserves both respect and appreciation. Thank you.