2021 Election & Term Orientation
Thank you to everyone who ran in the election, to all the campaign volunteers and supporters, to those who planned and ran the polling stations, and to those who voted! I’m honoured to have been re-elected, and I’m ready to get to know Council’s new members and to hit the ground running.
To start, I would love feedback on whether those reading would like my “agenda & activity” posts to continue, and if so, if there is anything I can do to improve them. Names/emails are optional in the following survey, but they help me get a sense of who is reading!
Election feedback
As with many residents, I’m concerned about low voter turnout this fall. Although voter fatigue has been cited as a possible reason, I’ve also heard of concerns about accessibility: Long line-ups, an overwhelming number of candidates (there are limited options for increasing the requirements for getting on the ballot), and confusion about polling locations may have impacted turnout. No matter your experience at the polls, please take a moment to sign up for Cultivate the Conversation to give feedback on the election process: Post Election Voter Survey
Council Orientation
We hit the ground running starting tomorrow! Events scheduled for the new Council include a one-on-one meeting with Mayor Heron tomorrow followed by orientation sessions on the following topics:
Legal & Legislative and Code of Conduct
Municipal Governance and Council (Hosted by George Cuff*)
City and Department Overviews
Corporate Business Planning and Finance
Regional Collaboration and Provincial Engagement
Media Training
*Cuff was assigned by the province “to conduct a “limited scope municipal inspection of governance practices” of the City of St. Albert” last term. Although the report is a long read, I read through the recommendations starting on page 179 every fall to reflect on how I have operated as a member of a governance board, and how I can improve my governance skills.
This is a brief and incomplete overview of our meetings, with my personal comments sprinkled in - In no way are my opinions representative of the official direction of council or the City of St. Albert. Please let me know of any typos or errors. Members of the public can also register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.
