governance zone

Landmines of Being a Mayor
Part 1

George Cuff

I have previously offered some thoughts as to what responsibilities and obligations accompany the role of the mayor. Hopefully, some of those musings resonated with those holding this important position (or at least those who actually read the materials!) and will be of some benefit to their councils and communities. Unfortunately, there are other instances where the role of mayor has become diluted by a misapprehension of the role.

Achieving role clarity by elected officials is often a struggle. This is due in part to the misconceptions of those accepting political office, and in part to the lack of concrete direction and/or advice pertaining to how such roles are expected to be performed.

This month’s column, then, is not focussed so much on what a mayor is expected to do, but rather a description of the pitfalls that many council leaders so readily experience. The following list is not intended to be exclusive nor all encompassing – experience teaches that new pitfalls are being added regularly!

Becoming the CAO

It should be evident that the mayor is not elected to manage the municipality. This is not a position that one takes on because of vast experience in local government or in senior positions in industry or the public sector. A mayor, quite simply, is elected to lead. There are substantive differences. Any mayor who assumes the functions and prerogatives of a chief administrative officer is not only guilty of undermining the most important administrative linkage a council has to its staff, but also lessens the potential positive impact that a political leader can impart to the community. It is not possible to do well at both positions concurrently. One or both will inevitably suffer, and in most instances, it will be both.

Thus, and for example, while various mayors have felt and operated otherwise, a mayor should not expect to attend meetings of management or, even worse, chair such meetings. Further, a mayor should not be directing the dismissal of department heads. A mayor should not take it upon himself or herself to carry out “field inspections” or site visits. A mayor should not be recommending the purchase of this or that tractor, grader or computer system based upon their inspection of such products at municipal trade shows. The foregoing examples (drawn from real-life) are – or at least should be – the prerogative of management.

If the relationship is based on mutual trust, and where a mayor feels that the CAO should be addressing administrative issues somewhat differently, such advice or insights can be appropriately offered, on the basis of “here is what I see from my perspective. You may want to think about this.” This leaves the CAO with an additional perspective and, while it should be heeded, it need not be acted upon.

A healthy municipality reflects coherent role appreciation and understanding.

Advocate For Own Agenda Only

By exercising the role of community leader, a mayor has the potential for tremendous influence on the direction of a community. Citizens expect the mayor, as chief spokesperson for council, and the one whose own agenda may indeed resonate the most clearly with a majority of the residents, to place those ideas before council for its reaction. If the mayor is an effective leader, he or she may be capable of seeing the broader agenda more quickly and more clearly than others. The election may have been the focus of debates relative to the vision set out by the mayor. If elected, the mayor has not only the right, but also the obligation, to articulate his or her vision of the future community.

This right does not, however, negate the fact that all others on council may have a somewhat different view of the world; nor does it mean that the mayor’s view should prevail. Rather, the mayor has the implied obligation to seek the views of his or her council colleagues and, through some process of discussion and compromise to ensure that a community vision emerges. While the forcefulness of some mayors may appear at odds with this observation, the delicate counter-balance that a council as a whole brings to the notion of a “one man show” is extremely important and valuable.

Believing Every Issue Needs Unanimity

Democracy is not well served by the search for unanimity on a council. Some of the most successful councils have very heated debates on the key issues and resolve such matters by a 5-4 vote. While the mayor may view the matter as very significant, there is nothing to suggest that the issue should result in everyone seeing the issue the same way.

If, after the council has heard all the evidence and still decides the matter by a narrow margin, it may well be that the community as a whole would, if exposed to the same arguments vote in a similar fashion. It is my view that the best councils, like hockey games, are unpredictable in nature, given the propensity of most leaders to see the world somewhat differently.

The key to successful mayoral leadership is the recognition that the key issues were fully debated, the public view was heard, and the majority decided the result. Those matters that do receive the support of all members of council are often quite straight forward or are of a housekeeping nature. It is seldom that a council resolves contentious matters by a unanimous vote. The mayor should not be perturbed by the failure of council to agree unanimously to any matter but, rather, maintain focus on the course ahead.

Falling Prey to Pettiness

Leaders rise above the temptation to engage in pettiness, whether in a council meeting, committee meeting or public forum. While tempted, they recognize that resorting to gutter behaviour does not bode well for the future of any community.

The position of mayor should be held in high regard. The person holding the position should not do anything that contributes to a dilution of that honour. Regardless of how tempting, or how justifiable given the antics of others, a mayor begins to squander his or her leadership quotient whenever civility succumbs to pettiness and vindictiveness.

Where members of council try to use the forum of a council meeting to ridicule others on council (or in the administration), the mayor ought not to engage in such immaturity; rather, he or she should use the prestige of the mayor’s office to silence personal attacks or other petty behaviour. It would be gratifying to think that anyone elected would bring to bear a certain class to the table, but human nature (as proven by the stories emanating across Canada) proves otherwise. The key to avoiding the mud lies in an unwillingness to throw it.

Using Power as a Battering Ram

While Canadian municipalities operate within the limitations of what is commonly referred to as the “weak mayor” system, the truth of the matter is that some communities are led by mayors who act as though they were anointed rather than elected. Thus, in a number of centres across Canada, by virtue of a combination of a powerful personality, bullying tactics and a compliant council and/or administration, the power of the mayor may have grown at the expense of the council as a whole.

Mayors are and should be respected by virtue of their positions. The community as a whole tends to hold the mayor in a position of esteem that may be above that of the rest of council. On the other hand, such a perception can lead to an abuse of power if appropriate checks and balances are not followed. The legislation across Canada is virtually unanimous in requiring the mayor to submit to the will of council. It is the Canadian view that a mayor can and should lead, but not at the expense of the council as a whole, and not by personal dictate.

Placing Entire Focus on Town Hall

During the course of seminars on this topic, I have often referenced the example of the early Ralph Klein, a former television reporter who decided to tackle the then mayor for the incumbent’s position (and would, of course, later go on to become Premier of Alberta) of Calgary. While the incumbent mayor was an accountant, it was Ralph who figured that there were more votes to be had out on the streets of Calgary than there were in city hall. His subsequent re-election, too, was based on his ability to connect with the voters, as opposed to spending the majority of his time in the municipal offices. Further, his success on the provincial stage since then is also regularly accorded to his “street smart” recognition that, while the business of the people might be conducted inside the legislature, the audience he needs to connect with is found in local community halls, on the street or in places of commerce.

It can be a heady experience for a mayor to become important in the local community and have his or her own office inside the town or city hall. Much of the business of the community is in fact conducted there. Often, however, the people of the community may not be comfortable in that environment and are far more likely to be in the market Saturday morning or out at the ball field or in a hockey rink. A mayor who is held in high esteem by the community is often someone who has placed connecting with the public in a prominent place in her or his daily schedule. It is too easy to be surrounded by those whose futures or careers are linked to the success of the mayor and who may see it as being in their best interests to convince the mayor that the world outside city hall sees life as those inside the often sterile facility.

Summary

Understanding the challenges of being a mayor is likely to raise the standard of performance. The foregoing (as well as Part Two) seeks to shed additional light on these challenges, which – if left undisclosed – may reach up and inflict more damage than necessary. While to “err is human,” being blissfully and willfully unaware is far more avoidable! MW

From the May 2005 issue of Municipal World

Check out George’s bio on the Municipal World website.

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