Yesterday I participated in an Election Awareness Campaign interview for Alberta Municipalities. The goal of the campaign is to help educate potential candidates on what running for and being part of a municipal council looks like. Once the video is out I’ll be sure to share it, but in the meantime here are the answers I prepared for the 8 questions I was asked. If you’re interested in running for Lethbridge City Council, visit https://www.lethbridge.ca/council-administration-governance/elections/ for more (and regularly updated) information, and I’m always happy to meet and discuss what my experience over these past 4 years has taught me. Feel free to contact me via this website, or email me at: jenn.schmidt-rempel@lethbridge.ca.
- What is 1 thing Albertans who are thinking of running for council should know about the job?
- Understand the role, its responsibilities, and that it’s an investment of your time in your community.
- Research the responsibilities of a municipal councillor, including what governance means, policy making, financial oversight, and community representation.
- Be prepared to invest time in meeting prep, community events, and engaging with residents.
- Familiarize yourself with legislation: read the Municipal Government Act (MGA), current council procedure bylaw, and understand what the different levels of government are responsible for.
- Build yourself a strong support system of family, friends, and advisors who will help you navigate being in public office.
- What do you wish more Albertan’s knew about municipal elected officials?
- We want less taxes too.
- This is job that has evolved over the years, as have the expectations of residents, and it requires the same amount of commitment as any other profession.
- This is a leadership job. We cannot direct staff in the daily operation of the city. This role is to work on the city’s short- and long-term direction to develop forward-thinking policies and projects that benefit current and future generations, and we do this based on the feedback and information we gather from residents, community organizations, and municipal staff, and it needs to be done within current budgetary constraints.
- What is the best part of serving on Council?
- The people – the residents in our community, our community partners, my council colleagues, and our municipal staff. Getting to know what they want the future of our city to be and working towards that.
- Seeing the tangible results of your decisions in local projects, policies, and programs that shape your community – for instance my work on childcare in our city – we’ll now see the need for childcare considered in land use development and in other areas of city planning.
- Engaging in a wide range of issues, from urban planning and public safety to arts and economic development.
- That there is no end to what you will learn.
- Representing our city’s interests at regional, provincial, and national levels, while also working with these partners to find solutions to issues we have in common.
- Knowing that I am working to contribute to the well-being and growth of this community.
- Celebrating our successes – we have a lot to be proud of in Lethbridge and we need to take time to celebrate our successes.
- On average, how much time do you spend on council-related business?
- My average month is around 150 hours – I spend anywhere between 20 – 53 hours/week on council-related work.
- Put into perspective, a typical full-time job is 37.5 – 40/hours per week or 150 – 160 hours/per month.
- Can you walk me through a normal council meeting day for you?
- Always coffee first.
- I’ve generally done my meeting prep in the days (Friday – Monday) leading up to our Council meeting days (Tuesday – Thursday).
- I’ll read the paper, check local media websites, look at the media alerts I’ve received, check social media, and check my email.
- Then I’ll do another review of the agenda and my notes.
- And then off to the City to join my colleagues for lunch before the meeting starts. Meetings can last anywhere from 1 hour – 13 hours.
- When not in a council or committee meeting, what other council responsibilities do you have?
- Meeting prep – for council meetings, committee meetings, Police Commission meetings, resident meetings, you name it, it requires prep.
- Background research – I believe its important to be doing your own research and learning about different issues – for instance homelessness – it’s important to educate yourself on what other communities are doing throughout the province, Canada and even worldwide – what’s worked for them, what hasn’t, where do we share common ground and what could we adopt here we haven’t yet considered. I also learn from the research of local experts.
- Training and orientation – there are professional development opportunities available – for instance the Elected Official Education Program.
- Budget information sessions – depending on where we’re at in the budget cycle.
- Special meetings as called.
- Other internal or external meetings with municipal staff or community partners, for instance Economic Development Lethbridge and Lethbridge Police Commission meetings.
- Being the Council representative on different boards, committees, or commissions.
- Seeking opportunities to become involved in and becoming involved in community service.
- Meetings with residents and community partner organizations.
- Conferences and intergovernmental meetings.
- Answering correspondence – on email, social media platforms, phone calls, and text messages.
- Public events, and public events in surrounding communities.
- Advocacy efforts within the community, surrounding communities, and at the provincial and federal levels.
- How has becoming an elected official impacted your family?
- Prior to being on council my spouse and I owned Lethbridge living magazine, and that made us active in our community – so my commitment to our residents and my community presence hasn’t changed from that perspective – I’m doing much of the same work I did in that position as I am with this one, and I have along history of public service in Lethbridge.
- Sometimes I need to step away from family events or down time to address a resident’s concern or attend a meeting, and residents will occasionally approach me with a question while I’m out with friends or family – I appreciate that people are respectful, and I enjoy the engagement.
- Can you describe the importance of working as a team on council? What has this looked like for you?
- If we’re not finding a way to work together (Council, administration, partner organizations, and partner organizations in the city working with each other) we’re not moving forward, and we will miss out on opportunities for economic development and growth.
- I feel that this Council has worked well together – we bring varied backgrounds and viewpoints to the table and that leads to well-rounded discussion and decision making that reflects the needs of the community.
- We share responsibility for complex issues and decision making, and working as a team fosters compromise and consensus-building, which is essential for creating policies that benefit our residents.
- Working as a team also demonstrates a level of professionalism, and presents a stronger, more persuasive voice when advocating for our residents and city.
