6 replies to this topic

[Ginger Snap]

Hot off the press:


The City of Victoria is offering an informational session for those considering running for Mayor or City Council in the upcoming 2008 Civic Election on Monday September 29.

Outgoing Councillors Helen Hughes and Bea Holland will host the session and will touch on issues of interest for a potential candidate, including:

• Balancing the rewards and demands of public service
• Council meeting policies and legislative process
• Time commitments of public office
• Questions or concerns for first time candidates
• Question and answer period

What: “So You Want to Run for Council?” An information session for potential mayoral and council candidates

Where: Victoria City Hall, Antechamber, 1 Centennial Square

When: Monday, September 29, 7:30 p.m.

Registration is not necessary. This session is open to the public but is geared specifically for those considering running for public office.

Individuals running for Mayor or City Council are required to file nomination papers at City Hall between September 30 and October 10, 2008. The 2008 Civic Election will be held on Saturday November 15.

For more information on the upcoming Civic Election and how to file for candidacy visit www.victoria.ca.

[Jacques Cadé]

I attended this event last night. If anyone wants me to type up my notes and post them here, let me know.

[Caramia]

Yes PLEASE!!!!

[Joseph]

I attended this also and was quite surprised how few candidates from victoria were there. It seemed as though there were more from the West Shore, infact. Nonetheless, an informative and worthwhile look behind the scenes.

[Jacques Cadé]

Yes, interesting that many of the people in the room were from other municipalities!

Don't have time to type out the notes right this moment, but I'll do it tomorrow. In the meantime, get to know the city's website for Elections 2008.

From there, you can download each of the following:
1) Candidate Info Package
2) Candidate Forms
3) BC Government Candidate Guide

That should give you plenty of reading for now ....

[Jacques Cadé]

OK, here are my notes from the seminar last week on running for city council. I missed some of the discussion at the beginning with Helen Hughes and Bea Holland, but the most important info for newcomers will be the nuts-and-bolts of how council works, spelled out by city staff.

I must say that this event renewed my respect for city councillors, who put in 60 to 80 hours per week for very little pay. This is not a job for cranks, idlers, resumé-padders, or single-issue zealots. It requires the best from our best citizens. Good luck in your respective campaigns.


Running For City Council - Monday, September 29, 2008

Question to councillors from audience: what was your proudest moment?
Helen Hughes: getting business community involved in working with youth
Bea Holland: Save-On Foods Memorial Centre, and preserving the veterans’ tribute in the building
Question: what most frustrating aspect of job?
Bea Holland: people don’t have all the information they need to form thoughtful opinions or make decisions
Mike McLiggot (assistant city manager): just follow everything staff tells you, and you’ll be fine! (laughter)

McLiggot describes respective duties:
Mayor’s role is to provide leadership on key city issues, chair meetings, provide guidance to the city manager’s office
Councillors develop and approve policies and bylaws, determine city services, levels of service, methods of delivery, set direction on financial policies, operational and capital budgets (council does strategic planning, staff does operational planning)
councillors don’t have individual authority; instead, they are part of a body eg they cannot individually demand enforcement of a bylaw, only the mayor can do that or council as a whole
City manager follows directions of council and provides advice to council, acts as conduit of council decisions to administration (City of Victoria has a staff of 1000 people!)
11 senior managers in city: all communicate with council at various times; each manager lays out a business plan for their department

current, active city projects: homeless coalition, Ellice street shelter, Our Place (money needed to extend its hours), Crystal Gardens renovations (occupancy permit being obtained next week), development of land around Crystal Gardens (eg Crystal Court Motel, lawn bowling green), revitalization of Centennial Square, detailed assessment of city infrastructure

Rob Woodland, manager of legislative and regulatory services:
governance in Victoria fractured, to say the least (laughter)
municipalities created by provincial statute
numerous jurisdictional problems eg air traffic in harbour: noise a municipal concern but airports in federal jurisdiction
limited sources of revenue for municipalities, but Victoria better off than many because more diverse: gets 65% from property tax and 35% from other sources such as business licensing, parking, and development permits
federal and provincial governments are supposed to use income taxes to redress imbalances between regions but aren’t doing it, so cities increasingly stuck with problems
other levels of government: CRD, VIHA, school/water/fire district, harbour authority
council acts as a body eg by answering a question or passing a resolution, thereby creating a policy that the city must implement, or by passing a bylaw (a longer process)
council has quasi-judicial powers: it can decide if a business is complying with a bylaw or not, and compel enforcement eg by threatening to remove a business licence (eg for hemp shop)
in this sense, municipalities are unique: provincial and federal governments have completely separate judiciaries

committees
several council committees, with three councillors on each: private property (eg dealing with messy property, construction); finance and human resources
council can also create standing (50% members from council) or select (largely citizens) committees
also variety of advisory committees eg on heritage, transportation; all seek new members every 18 months
community associations mainly involved in land use, meet monthly, one councillor serves on each
also Victoria mayor and three councillors serve on CRD board (extra $7,000 in salary)
three Victoria councillors serve on water supply commission, one on CRD arts committee, one on Capital Region Emergency Services, one on economic development commission, one on harbour authority, one on library board, two on Provincial Capital Commission board, one on board of Royal and Macpherson Theatres Society, and the mayor and one councillor also serve on the BC Transit commission

Bea Holland noted that she spent 60-80 hours per week on council issues; the only time for vacations are at Christmas and late August, when most municipal offices are quiet

rules of governance
BC Community Charter spells out principles of conflict of interest for councillors: eg personal relationship, pecuniary interest in outcome of decision; councillor must declare interest at meeting and recuse themselves
beware of gifts: permitted only if part of your regular duties of office eg CRD arts committee members may get free tickets to attend performances
financial disclosure statements must announce all holdings of stocks, mutual funds, property
see provincial candidates’ guide, elections guide on city website

current complications
City of Victoria has a population of 75,000 but 150,000 here every day because of visitors, commuters
current provincial government favours incentives over regulations eg affordable rental housing: province doesn’t want city to ban demolition, instead community charter encourages city to give tax breaks to those who build it instead
federal government has walked away from funding for mental health services
provincial Local Government Act has land-use provisions not yet rolled into the Community Charter

[Holden West]

This is not a job for cranks, idlers, resumé-padders, or single-issue zealots. It requires the best from our best citizens.

You realize you just crushed the dreams of three-quarters of the candidates. Although I just might vote for that more partying guy.