Good municipal government depends on good communication.
It sounds simple, but communication between elected officials and residents is about much more than posting updates on Facebook or sending out a newsletter. At its best, communication is a two-way conversation. Residents need to know what is happening in their community, but elected officials also need to know what residents are seeing, experiencing, and concerned about.
That means
communication should be:
🔹 Timely - Important information shouldn’t reach residents after the decision has already been made or the opportunity to provide input has passed.
🔹 Clear - Municipal government can be complicated. Residents shouldn’t need to understand municipal legislation, planning terminology, or government processes just to understand what is happening in their own community.
🔹 Accessible - Not everyone gets their information the same way. Good communication means using different ways to reach people and making information easy to find.
🔹 Two-way - Communication isn’t just about telling residents what Council has decided. It means listening to questions, concerns and ideas - and making sure residents know their voices have been heard.
🔹 Honest - Sometimes the answer is “I don’t know yet.” Sometimes the news isn’t good. Sometimes there isn’t an easy solution. Good communication doesn’t mean always having something positive to say. It means being willing to have the conversation anyway.
🔹 Consistent - Residents shouldn’t have to wonder whether they will hear from their elected representatives only when there is an election, a controversy or something to celebrate.
Communication and
consultation aren’t the same thing.
This is an important
distinction.
Communication means keeping residents informed.
Consultation means seeking their input before a decision is made.
Both matter.
Residents shouldn’t be
expected to support decisions they didn’t know were being considered,
particularly when those decisions have a significant impact on their
neighbourhood or their community.
And consultation
doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone gets what they asked for. Council must balance competing priorities,
consider the information available, and ultimately make decisions.
But people deserve to
know what is being considered, have an opportunity to provide input, and
understand how that input was considered.
So, what should you look for in a candidate?
^ Pay attention to how they communicate before they are elected.
^ Do they answer questions - including difficult ones?
^ Do they explain their positions, or simply tell you what they think you want to hear?
^ Do they listen to different perspectives?
^ Do they make information available to everyone, or only respond privately to the people who contact them?
^ And perhaps most importantly, do they communicate with you, or do they simply communicate at you?
Because a Councillor’s
job isn’t just to vote at Council meetings.
It is to represent the
residents of their Ward, understand the issues affecting their community, bring
those perspectives to the Council table, and then communicate back to residents
about what happened.
Communication isn’t about always agreeing. It’s about keeping the conversation going.
And I believe
residents deserve elected representatives who will listen, communicate openly
and keep them informed - not just during an election campaign, but throughout
the entire term of Council.