A voice for change was clear in the results of municipal elections in the Town of St. Paul, as nearly all of the previous council was voted out, in favour of a new mayor and new councillors.
The last council term seemed to be one of obfuscation; simple questions about council expenses, consulting fees, or hiring practices – for instance, the background of a new Public Works director – were not answered, took long delays to answer, or were not answered in a clear, straightforward way by administration or council. In other instances, administration would refer questions back to council, while mayor and council would refer the questions back to administration.
It was a case of a dog chasing its own tail, and it was not clear where the problems stemmed.
Leadership everywhere must lead, and be prepared to take responsibility for decision-making, and residents’ hunger for that type of leadership was evident in their voting.
While the new mayor nor all the councilors may know the factors that went into past council’s decision-making, so far, they have shown a willingness to roll up their sleeves, work and learn, whether it’s about a new garbage and composting system or photo radar, or launching into a busy November of meetings.
Since 2015 to now, the Town of St. Paul has had three CAOs, and many changes within staffing and directors of the major departments. The changeover in staff over the last two years was raised as a concern by several residents in the lead-up to the last election.
Now, as the new council has opted to find a new CAO, hopefully it will find someone who brings a steady hand of experience, shows a willingness to work with council to determine a vision for the town and execute it, and an ability to provide a steady hand in the time of transition ahead.
