It’s been one year since I announced my intentions to run for mayor in the City of Prince George – and just over a year since a medical issue forced me to withdraw from the race and re-evaluate.
Do I regret my decision to withdraw? Absolutely not. My family is the most important thing to me, and they are pretty happy to continue having me around. But that does not stop my frustration with the lack of work being accomplished by our municipal council.
As we draw closer to a year in office, a second, third, fourth, or more, term for the majority, we continue to see the same issues, and a new much larger and more concerning trend: blocking and obfuscating.
Rather than diving into the minutia of recent decisions, or the lack thereof, let’s instead focus on the pathway forward – a policy pathway.
City council is the governance body for the City of Prince George. Within the Municipal Government Act, the mayor is the CEO. City council directs the outcomes for the organization, with the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) dictating these outcomes to the team for delivery. For the past number of years, the exact opposite has been happening.
City council needs to assume the leadership position and dictate the policy and outcomes for the community that duly elected them to SERVE. The emphasis on that word is critical.
In order to restore the balance of power, council must address several significant policy gaps, not the least of which is the disparity between Council Policy and Administrative Procedures. These gaps, or fissures in some instances, are leading to the tail wagging the dog. Think ‘Mega Park’. A space being funded by outside parties and the community, for the benefit of all. An Administrative Report came to Council indicating the millions of dollars it would take to maintain this park over the lifespan, not the immediate benefits it provides to a community with worse parks and play spaces than Quesnel, Williams Lake and Kamloops, to name a few. The result: ‘Mega Park’ cancelled.
Following the above, council must audit all their policies and administrative procedures to develop the necessary alignment. Included with this, a renewal of key policies must be done to provide the appropriate understanding of process and outcomes.
The CAO is tasked, as council’s sole employee, to act as their chief policy advisor, liaison with government and administrative leader. To consider greater alignment, many councils have secured a Chief of Staff. This role provides greater support and ensures alignment with the vision of the elected representatives. Recently, the City of Prince George posted for the position of External Relations. Council should cancel this position and develop the Chief of Staff role. If they don’t, another layer of administration is created, blocking council from directly engaging in necessary discussions with senior officials and internal team members.
Beyond all of this, we have a tremendous opportunity to develop policies, procedures and opportunities that benefit the entire community. Any growth we will experience in PG will come from job development, creating safe spaces and developing recreational opportunities that attract families to the community.
After all, growth and change come from diversifying all aspects of a community.
Todd Corrigall is a Senior Consultant with PNL Consulting in Prince George, who focuses on strategic communications initiatives, including community engagement, government and industrial relations, fractional leadership and capacity building services for First Nations, local governments and major projects in Northern B.C.
