What do I need to be an Effective Municipal Councillor?
Sincere desire to make your community better. This should be the main motivation for any form of public service including being a municipal councillor. A willingness to listen to a variety of demands place upon you and your time by individuals and groups in your community.
Aside from being eligible and the legal considerations you will need to have five things:
1. Sincere desire
Sincere desire to make your community better. This should be the main motivation for any form of public service including being a municipal councillor.
2. Willingness to Listen
A willingness to listen to a variety of demands place upon you and your time by individuals and groups in your community. These can range form a local group wanting a recreational grant to someone who is upset over a pothole. It can include a call from a senior who cannot afford to pay the property tax bill or a developer who wants to meet and discuss a planned project. Often these conversations are unplanned and occur when you might least expect it such as in the local grocery store.
3. Time
You will need time. New councillors underestimate the amount of time that being a councillor requires. In addition to regular council meetings there will be other committee of council that you may be expected to attend and you may be requested to represent your council on external boards such as those of a hospital or a seniors complex. Still the vast majority of councilors in Nova Scotia are part time.
4. Patience
You will need patience. The wheels of government can move slowly. Being focused on what you want to achieve, building support for your ideas on council and in the community will go a long way to achieving what you want to accomplish.
5. Team Player
Recognize that you are part of a team. In fact you are part of many teams. The first team is the council team. As a member of this team you will need to work cooperatively with your fellow councillors. The second team is the municipal team. This includes the council and the municipal staff. While council and staff perform different roles they are both working to the same ends. The third team is the municipal team. Your municipality is one of 55 municipal units in Nova Scotia that together work with the Province of Nova Scotia to help make this Province a great place to live.
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Remember that one of the hall marks of a successful municipal politician is continuous learning. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn and to grow. Progressive municipalities will set aside monies in the annual budget to support the training and development of their municipal councillors. -
Sincere desire to make your community better. This should be the main motivation for any form of public service including being a municipal councillor. A willingness to listen to a variety of demands place upon you and your time by individuals and groups in your community.
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Being a municipal councillor means being a community leader. It is a place where you and your fellow councillors can make a real difference in the lives of the people in your community. -
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Making the
decision to run for municipal office is not an easy decision to make but
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election. To do so you will need to have a well-organized campaign plan
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Offering to stand for municipal election is certainly a noble and selfless contribution to the betterment of your community but it is certainly not the only way in which those who are so inclined can do so. Indeed there are many ways to make a contribution many of which require much less time and are not so much in the spot light. -
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The day after the municipal election can be a very scary time. The campaign is over and you have been elected. What do you do?
The first things to do is take a deep breath and realize that many people have just gone through what you have; they are feeling the same way you are feeling and have come through with flying colours.