City Hall Desperately Needs Reform: CRERAR

If you have some spare time, go online, use your favourite browser to search “Ottawa City Council” and learn more about all our city councillors.

You will find what they studied as undergrads, where they studied, where they’re from, how they were employed before they stepped into the political spotlight, what their hobbies are, and so on. All these mini-biographies make for interesting reading and add insight into activities that take place daily at Ottawa City Hall.

What is fascinating is how many councillors have studied journalism in university or worked in the field (the mayor included), and, not surprisingly, how many studied political science at a variety of universities.

All city councillors, in addition to their duties to the city and their communities, sit on various committees.

In some cases it is questionable how or why these appointments have been made, while, others, like the appointment of Rideau-Jock Councillor David Brown as agriculture and rural affairs committee chairman make sense based on his life-long involvement with agriculture in addition to his  post-secondary studies. Thankfully Barrhaven East Councillor Wilson Lo, a former OC Transpo employee, is a member of the transit committee. The administrative experience he is gaining now should serve him well when, after next November’s municipal election, he hopefully moves in as chairman.

After reviewing all the committee, board, and liaison appointments, there seems to be an issue. On average, each councillor is assigned nine of these roles with size councilors holding 10 or more of these appointments, and one who appears under 14 headings. And Mayor Mark Sutcliffe? He has 18 appointments..

The Amazing Parliament Building Rebuild

In the project management field, a good manager can run three, maybe four projects, with varying degrees of complexity, successfully at the same time. Councillors are obviously busy but are they doing real work or “busy work” and are they capable of doing an effective job working on nine different chores on an ongoing basis? Where do they find time to spend with their families and participate in extra-curricular activities? Maybe this is why councillors allow city staff to make decisions on issues where these politicians should be taking the lead.

No one is an expert nine unrelated areas so councillors obviously have to consult with subject matter experts in their roles. The process involved with gaining knowledge is straightforward.

First, understand what questions to ask. Second, locate the appropriate subject matter expert’ Third, listen to their explanation. Fourth, ensure the explanation is understood by taking notes and rephrasing their explanation back to the expert. Fifth, receive agreement from them that you understand, and finally, remember the explanation to pass along the knowledge you’ve gained. The process is time-consuming and can be prone to error. To save time, maybe subject-matter experts should be acting as liaisons instead of city councillors.

The solution to dilemmas that arise at city hall always seem to involve money. So what would benefit city hall most is a study into restructuring the organization so that everyone could effectively complete the tasks associated with their job descriptions in the most efficient way.

Howard Crerar is a project manager and has worked in the software industry for three decades.

For You:

The Office Is Dead: RICHARD FLORIDA

Chocolate Cake For Breakfast: PATTON

City Negligent On Saving Money: BENN

Monsters Walk Among Us: PATTON

Tax Fee Shows City Desperate: MULVIHILL

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