On Oct. 14, residents will begin voting for the people who will represent them for the next four years on city council and local school boards. With regard to the formation of our next city council, between now and Oct. 24, voters need to decide who they feel has the right combination of qualifications, experience and available time to represent their collective best interests at three distinct levels of responsibility.
With regard to the three levels of responsibility, we must elect a mayor and 12 councillors who will be capable of representing us at the city level, the ward level and the constituent level. At this time I would like to focus on the ward councillors, and, while all three levels of responsibility are important, I will explain below why I feel the one that is perhaps the most crucial for individual residents is the constituent level and also why I feel that a councillor who is available on a full-time basis provides a better degree of service to local residents in the ward.
City level responsibilities for elected representatives include participation at meetings of city council, committee meetings, advisory panel meetings, and meetings of various boards such as Public Health Sudbury and Districts, the Greater Sudbury Police Services Board, etc.
Ward councillors must take part on a variety of these committees in order to gain valuable knowledge and experience with the 58 lines of service that the municipality provides to residents. There is a tremendous amount of background reading and research needed in order to be prepared to discuss and debate the matters that are presented by staff during these meetings.
Over time, councillors become more familiar with the protocols and policies of the different departments, and are able to be more effective when arriving at decisions that will be in the best interests of the municipality as a whole.
The ideal ward councillor is one who demonstrates that he/she is prepared and willing to vigorously debate the city issues with passion and conviction. However, once a decision is made by the majority of council, all councillors are expected to uphold the will of the majority and do what is necessary to communicate the reasons for the decision to his/her constituents.
It is perfectly fine to explain why you did not agree with the decision, but all city councillors have an obligation to support majority decisions and avoid doing anything that will undermine the public confidence in the majority decision or impede implementation.
Ward level responsibilities for elected representatives include working with neighbourhood associations, community groups and organizations, as well as Community Action Networks, to assist in advancing their goals and objectives with respect to enhancing the general quality of life for residents living in the specific ward.
It also includes working with staff to ensure that day to day matters such as waste management, road maintenance and repair, parks, playgrounds, water/wastewater, and other municipal services are maintained and delivered to a level that is satisfactory and meets the needs of the residents of the ward. There are often major ward level projects that are approved by council, such as the Paquette Whitson Drainage Project and the Notre Dame Bike Lane project, which a councillor must also support and oversee so that he/she is able to answer questions from constituents.
Constituent level responsibilities are what I personally feel should be the highest priority for a ward councillor. In my own role as councillor of Ward 5 for the past eight years, I am contacted by literally hundreds of individual constituents each year with specific residential and/or commercial concerns that need to be addressed.
As their ward councillor, it is my responsibility and, I must say, my privilege, to work with each of these constituents to better understand the nature of their concern, and then be able to provide some guidance, direction and at times strategic advocacy in order to ensure that the most satisfactory resolution is found to alleviate their particular concern. There are times when all of my efforts along with the efforts of staff are unable to change the outcome, but it is up to me to make sure that my constituents feel confident that I have represented their best interests and that they have been given fair and just consideration.
This is by far the most time consuming part of my job as ward councillor, but it is also the most satisfying part of the job. Being available to my constituents when they need me and knowing that I have done all I could to help them with their concerns means the world to me. This, to me, is the main reason why I want to continue serving as ward councillor for Ward 5. It is all about helping people achieve their goals.
In my opinion, it is critical for elected ward councillors to be fully functional at all three levels of responsibility in order to be effective at each. What you do at the city level enables you to have an impact at the ward level. And the more active and involved you are at the city and ward levels, the more knowledge you will have when it comes to assisting and advocating at the constituent level.
Conversely, the more involved you are with your constituents, the better prepared you are to inform the discussions at city council and committee meetings when determining policies and directions that will end up having an impact on individual constituents on a day to day basis.
The participation at all levels of responsibility contribute to the overall experience, knowledge and qualifications of elected ward councillors. However, one element that is often overlooked is what I call “availability”.
In order to be fully functional at all three levels, I have found that I, personally, must make myself available to the residents of Ward 5 on a full-time basis in order to best serve their needs. It takes a lot of time to be properly prepared to fulfil my responsibilities at city council and committee meetings. It takes a lot of time to work with community groups and organizations as well as being involved with staff to maintain a proper level of services at the ward level. And I absolutely must be available when individual constituents contact me with their specific residential and/or commercial concerns.
My constituents should not be forced to wait for me to fit them into my schedule. I must be available to fit into their schedule in order to be an effective guide and advocate.
My advice to all residents of the City of Greater Sudbury is take the necessary time to fully examine all of the candidates who are seeking your vote as ward councillor. You must choose the person who demonstrates that he/she has the knowledge and qualifications to serve you when meeting their city and ward level responsibilities, but at the same time you want your ward councillor to be available when you and the hundreds of other constituents of your ward require assistance from him/her for your specific needs during the year.
Your decision should not be made simply based on who has the most election signs; who stops at your door to ask you what your concerns are, considering that if they were observing and listening for the past several years they would already know what your concerns are; or who has posted the most photos of themselves at community events during the past couple of months.
Your vote should go to someone who has demonstrated the qualities, knowledge and experience that will make him/her a good representative and also someone who will have the time to fulfil all of his/her responsibilities at each of the city, ward and constituent levels for the next four years.
Robert Kirwan is seeking re-election to the Greater Sudbury city council seat for Ward 5.
