Separation of Political and Administrative

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Climate Change in Aurora":

Is the CAO running the town or is Council?

This is a very serious question that must be addressed immediately.

I don't recall voting for Mr. .....

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The answer is the CAO is  top  man  within the administration.

It is  a position of  authority and responsibility.

The  town is managed by an  Executive Leadership Team.

It used to be known as Management Team.  I think the title and function  were  more apt..

The Mayor is  Head of Council. The two positions are not  the same. Each councillor has authority and separate accountability.The Mayor's role is leadership. Not the same thing as being the boss.

I have previously referred to the disadvantage of  being Head of Council  without  political  experience.  A big  drawback  is not knowing ,what you don't know and learning it by doing it in a fish bowl.

Something  happened on Tuesday which indirectly illustrates the point.

 A delegation  presented for  the Farmers' Market.  Councillor Humphreys had been  named contact person between Council and the Market. I'm not sure what it meant but everyone seems  pleased about it.  . So that's O.K.

Councillor Humphreys engaged the delegate in a lengthy conversation. Which the rules do not permit.  No point of order was called.  Sandra is well regarded.

Had  Councillor Gaertner  done the same thing, someone would assuredly have called a point of order.  Wendy has rubbed more than a few people the wrong way.

But that's  not right.  Called from the chair or the floor, the  rules must  apply without bias.

If not, more problems than solutions are created in a heavily competitive political  environment..

Resentment  poisons the atmosphere. You have to be on the receiving end of bias, to appreciate the
counter-reaction. It may not be pretty.

A  presiding member  who does not understand the imperative of impartiality,. does not have an opportunity for leadership.  It  is not subject to command.

Dynamics of a council are fluid.  Currents  run beneath the surface. They twist and turn  and sometimes. instantaneously, gather force and suck everything down into a vortex.

The  Mayor  operated  a successful business. Decisions were his alone to make.

Working  with eight other people  to achieve a majority decision, with  everything happening  as it should and each Councillor bringing a perspective to the table  to be heard before a vote is cast , calls for something more an orchestration.

Any hint of   group conferencing   prior to debate is not conducive to harmony. It bespeaks a lack of confidence,  courage and a tendency to dependency.

Councillors are wise to seek knowledge from staff .  But it's only  part of the responsibility.

Personal judgement is the other part. Each Councillor  is accountable  for the vote he casts.

If the electorate considers  facts presented and  withheld and arrives at  a different judgment,it does  not profit a councillor to  explain "I did my homework and  thought it was right"

People will make up their minds if they have all the facts. They will make up their minds if they don't.

It's best if they have all the facts.

If I don't believe a particular expenditure is in the best interest of the community I serve  it's my job to say so and articulate the reason why.