We are now about a month away
from municipal election night in Thunder Bay and the election signs have been
popping up in clusters on numerous high-profile intersections across the city
as both heralds and omens of the blessed event.
There is potential for a fair degree of turnover in city council this
year and that will have both costs and benefits not least will be the learning
curve for new councillors as they acquire the information needed to perform
effectively as councillors. As has been
noted, new councillors will need to be quick learners, multi-talented,
adaptable, patient, and open to criticism both warranted and unwarranted and
take it all in with a smile. Indeed,
adapting an old university joke to municipal government: City Councillors will
need to take a lot of crap, the mayor will have to take a lot of crap and
smile, while City Administrators must simply enjoy taking crap, given they have
made a career out of it. To assist
incoming councillors in becoming City Councillors, find below a short
multiple-choice quiz featuring hypothetical and not so hypothetical situations of
varying degrees of seriousness and whimsy designed to test your knowledge and
judgement on the eve of taking office.
If past experience is any indicator, returning councillors may also benefit
from a refresher course.
1.
You have spent two days with a prominent
international business investor touring Thunder Bay showing them the local sights
as well as parcels of municipal land available for sale and at the end of a
successful visit, the businessperson announces intentions to invest. The businessman is very grateful to you for
your time and proceeds to privately present you will an expensive gift item (eg.
Diamonds, expensive Scotch, etc..) as a show of appreciation. You:
A.
Accept the gift
as this is a common practice in their home country and you do not wish to
offend them.
B.
You inspect the
gift carefully for flaws in craftsmanship and file a report with the Canadian
Manufacturer’s Association.
C.
You thank the
businessperson for their kind thoughts, respectfully decline the gift and note
that you were simply doing your duty as an elected official.
D.
You ask for gifts
for all the members of council as well as the mayor because after all it has
been a team effort.
E.
Ask for cash in
lieu of the item as economists have demonstrated that cash transfers are
welfare enhancing.
F.
Return the kind
favour by offering to sell them a piece of land you personally own at a
discount in lieu of buying the municipal property.
2.
By how much do
you think the municipal tax levy should go up for the 2023 budget year?
A.
The rate of
inflation.
B.
By whatever
amount the city manager recommends but divided by two.
C.
The rate of
inflation plus whatever percentage salary increase is going to go to senior
city managers.
D.
Whatever it
takes.
E.
Whatever the
public lets you get away with.
F.
The rate of
inflation plus the rate of population growth and divided by one tenth of the square root of
the combined weight of any randomly selected six members of city council.
3.
Within two weeks
of taking office, it is suddenly revealed that there is a major crisis in the
finances of the City of Thunder Bay as a result of several successful lawsuits
against the city as well as assorted unforeseen infrastructure and policing expenses, and the city is on the verge of bankruptcy. You:
A.
Resign immediately.
B.
Blame the
previous three city councils and mayors and then resign.
C.
Try to deflect
attention from the crisis by proposing a motion to review street names with the
aim of creating one name for streets currently with two or three separate
names.
D.
Ask the provincial
government for a bailout.
E.
Ask for a study
from City Administration on the extent of the crisis and proposals to deal with
it with a projected delivery date 12 months down the road.
F.
Take to social
media with a campaign arguing that municipal financial problems are fake news.
4.
There has been
talk of reforming Thunder Bay city council as to the size of city council as
well as whether there should be Ward and At-Large Councillors. City council should be reformed as follows:
A.
8 Ward
councillors plus a mayor.
B.
8 At-Large
councillors plus a mayor.
C.
4 Ward
councillors, 4 At-Large Councillors plus a mayor and vice-mayor.
D.
4 large
councillors, 4 small councillors plus a large mayor and a small vice Mayor.
E.
The Status Quo (7
ward councillors, 5 At-large plus a mayor)
F.
Modified Status
Quo (6 ward councillors, 6 At Large plus an invitation to Prince Andrew to be
our mayor for life).
G.
Hereditary
Ward Councillors with formal titles (eg. Earl of Current River or Duke of Westfort)
and the line of succession being the offspring or designate of current
councillors starting, of course with the council as elected on October 24th.
5.
What are the most
important things to understand about attending a City Council meeting as a municipal
councillor?
A.
The distinction
between a balance sheet, a revenue statement, an expenditure statement, capital
budget, operating budget, and slush fund, but not necessarily in that order.
B.
When it comes to
meeting length, time is money, and that long meetings must mean the
participants have an abundance of both.
C.
Robert’s Rules of
Order and Codes of Conduct should be viewed as mere constraints on the
creativity of councillors when it comes to interacting with one another and the
public in solving issues.
D.
Deputations and
public input are simply a formality and should be taken as an opportunity for
you to demonstrate your rhetorical skills in debate with presenters.
E.
During televised
meetings, it is important to turn off your microphone if muttering under your breath
as well as make sure you do not fall asleep on camera.
F.
In-camera
meetings are not a photo opportunity but where the real business of council
takes place.
Suggested Answers:
1.
C though F may be tempting for some.
2.
E as F while technically elegant might be
beyond the math skills of the average councillor.
3.
D or E are
acceptable though C is an excellent diversionary tactic.
4.
E is likely given
the law of inertia though F or G might be good for tourism.
5.
F with D and E
acceptable choices for part marks.
