File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Sadie Hunter

In The Loop

HUNTER: Democracy is a team sport

Dec 13, 2022 | 10:27 AM

CITY HALL CERTAINLY GAVE the community and media plenty to talk about last week. I’ve heard many opinions, some speaking against the mayor and others encouraging patience as he learns this very new role. I think there’s validity in both, but I do struggle with using being new as an excuse for everything.

Keep in mind, there are also six new council members drinking from a fire hose of information around the history behind decisions, legal obligations and procedures, while also getting to know their council colleagues and city staff. There’s also learning happening for most as new directors of the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD), not to mention many community events to attend – especially this time of year. All of this takes a tremendous amount of time and energy. As Deputy Mayor Bill Sarai also pointed out on CBC’s Daybreak Kamloops Monday morning, everyone also has other personal obligations whether that be running a business, working full-time, or family.

I point this out because I don’t see any of them fumbling or repeatedly making the same mistakes. I’m sure there are slips here and there, as there are bound to be, but it seems to me they’re all ready to learn and to work together. In fact, they’re all working really hard to navigate all of the above in addition to what appears to be some sticky legal liabilities which seemingly involve the mayor.

Before anyone gets their back up and dismisses my thoughts as those of a disgruntled candidate, please know I want to see this council succeed. I may have taken a shot at the mayor’s chair, but I’m a resident first and foremost. Having a cohesive and effective city council is in all of our best interests. This is not what I’m seeing in the actions of the new mayor who, ideally, would be stepping in as a leader to build cohesion and collaboration. All I see is the exact opposite.

My concern is the seeming inability to work with others and lead a team and the detrimental impact it’s having on the ability to get work done. This will also make it difficult to engage in a meaningful way with other orders of government to advocate for change and resources. Being in municipal politics often means persistence and patience. It means hearing “no” as “not right now” when it comes to projects and funding and not throwing in the towel as soon as you get an answer you don’t like. It is the job of the mayor to set this tone. Right now, I only see council coming together in this way.

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People will say things he doesn’t like, and most won’t issue an apology. Does this mean relationships are severed every time this happens, or will he find a way to take it on the chin and keep going for the greater good of the community?

A really simple start would be to work together with the council to get the council committees running. These are a critical and integral part of setting direction and allowing the work of the city to continue. I know the mayor has a vision for various task forces – great. Until these are formed, or until there’s clarity on what changes, if any, he wants to make to the committee structure, then why not allow the committees to continue as they currently stand until that’s sorted out? This decision paralysis is only serving to stonewall the entire city, council and staff and preventing any work from getting done.

I completely understand wanting to make something your own. I also know what it’s like to start a new job – including council – and need some time to get the lay of the land. Standard practice would be to have things continue on and then implement a change once you have a handle on things, not bring everything to a grinding halt while you decide. How does refusing to see how things currently work help guide any insights on what changes you might want to make? This goes for all of the new council. Sometimes the only way to figure out what you don’t want is to understand what already exists.

If a willingness to admit wrongs and an openness to listen to those with experience and to learn were being demonstrated, I’d have room for patience. What I’m seeing (and hearing in his own words in numerous media interviews) isn’t that at all. Let me provide a few examples.

Take a December 10 Castanet Kamloops article wherein the mayor characterizes the concerns brought forward by way of a letter signed by all of council last Friday as “mistruths, innuendos, and allegations”. This is a letter signed by eight other people elected by residents; isn’t it the mayor’s job to listen to them?

Sarai is also quoted as saying, “We’re moving forward,” he said. “It’s not even worth looking in the rearview – let’s just move forward.”

To which the mayor responded: “No, it’s not in the past,” and went on to say he’d have individual conversations with council members instead of having a collaborative group discussion. This is not how you build consensus or team.

Perhaps the most telling public exchange in the media lies in the December 10 CFJC Today article where Sarai states most councillors feel disconnected from the mayor more than a month into the new term.

“It’s a sports team where only one player is playing. He knows the playbook and only he knows what’s going to happen,” said Sarai. “Council is a team sport. It’s a team game. You need at least five council members to get things done. We’ve all been elected by a majority; we’ve all campaigned on things we want our city to do.”

Sarai also echoes my sentiment about what needs to happen in order for things to get done with this statement: “He has to respect opinions from others that don’t align with his. He has to respect those opinions, just like we respect his opinions. Just because we have a difference of opinion, it doesn’t mean we’re his enemy.”

In the same article, the mayor seems intent to highlight differences and sees the differences as a representation of democracy – which they are. What’s missing though is the understanding that democracy also means learning to work within those differences to come to a place of understanding of different views. This is why representation matters. Different opinions are integral to democracy – but so is humility.

My humble suggestion is for the mayor to heed his own advice as stated on December 8, in an article by RadioNL, “I was elected on accountability and that is what my goal is going to be.”

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.