City Council functions like a board of directors for a very large corporation, with a current annual budget of $4.6 billion and more than 17,000 municipal workers serving 1.5 million citizens. Every four years, the voices of Calgarians shape the future direction of the city when they elect Councillors and a Mayor who collaboratively set policies, pass bylaws, and approve a four-year budget which is reviewed annually for necessary adjustments. Although the names on the ballots change with each election and representatives may approach city issues differently, their common goal remains the same: to make valuable decisions for the Calgarians they serve.
As Mayor and leader of this organization, I understand the importance of maintaining strong relationships with internal teams to efficiently manage our City, including individual Councillors, the City Clerk’s Office, and City Administration. Equally important is collaborating with the community; building and maintaining trust between Calgarians and their municipal government is essential to Calgary’s success.
A key function in helping such a large organization run smoothly is understanding who you’re serving and what their needs are. That’s why I prioritize community involvement to grasp how city policies and programs affect the lives of Calgarians, ensuring their lived experiences inform the work and decisions of council.
Being elected as Ward 3 Councillor in 2017 and as Mayor in 2021, my experiences of working for Calgarians has been shaped by my pride of being a Calgarian. Immersing myself in the community – whether attending cultural, faith-based, educational, or business events – allows me to meet the people who are the foundation of our city’s diversity and growing economy. Engaging with various community perspectives enables me to best serve all Calgarians, not just some.
Council members each prioritize unique policies, programs, and services, often participating on various committees to bring diverse expertise to Calgarians. This dedication is part of why Calgary has ranked among the top 10 cities to live in worldwide for consecutive years.
This also means we’re busy. When I’m not in regular council meetings, public hearings, or strategic sessions, I’m attending Council committee meetings and meetings for boards of organizations such as the Calgary Stampede, Attainable Housing Corporation, and Calgary Metropolitan Region.
By engaging in the community or committees, Council members can bring their knowledge and ideas into new matters of consideration for council by creating a notice of motion. This could include policies, bylaws, business propositions, and administrative actions. They follow a legislative process of discussion, debate, and vote to ensure the motion represents the diverse needs of Calgarians and serves the City’s best interest.
One of my favourite roles as Mayor is to chair and facilitate the Council meetings where decisions are made, ensuring they run according to the rules and as fairly and efficiently as possible. Achieving this requires a blend of knowing the rules inside and out, which I made a point of learning in my term as Councillor, and in maintaining strong relationships within our City organization.
Taking my responsibility of leadership and neutrality amongst council seriously, I work closely with all Councillors to ensure they have the appropriate tools and resources to create clear and concise notices of motion – even if it’s something I might not agree with. Fostering a system of equity and fairness in democratic legislative processes through the sharing of knowledge means everyone can properly advocate for what they believe.
City Clerks facilitate the procedural and organizational legislative processes. Some of their responsibilities include setting the Council meeting agenda with notices of motion, taking minutes, managing records, and ensuring legal compliance among city operations.
City Administration informs the decisions made by Council to provide programs and services for Calgarians. By implementing Council directives within the community and conducting impact research, administration can then report back to Council on the effectiveness and influence on the lives of Calgarians, ensuring decisions best meet the needs of the people they serve.
Through organization and having the appropriate tools and research readily available to make informed decisions, my collaboration with City Clerks and Administration have helped me to reduce time spent in meetings that can sometimes run for 12 hours. My first-year chairing council meetings achieved a 13% time reduction, from an annual total of 360.75 hours in 2021 to 311.25 hours in 2022. This does not mean council members are working less; rather we’ve proven it’s possible to get lots done with greater efficiency, saving time and money for where it’s needed most.
We’re an organization that serves Calgarians and our collaboration with the community doesn’t stop at participating in events or discussions. Creating an inviting government encourages respectful participation from both Councillors and Calgarians, leading to a city that truly represents everyone. Recently, we made history by completing the City’s longest public hearing on proposed city-wide rezoning. Over more than two weeks, we listened to the voices of 736 speakers on 238 panels, and reviewed over 6000 written statements.
As Mayor, it is my privilege to be the voice of Calgarians, ensuring their lived experiences are integrated into every aspect of my job. It is critical to me to incorporate the wide range of perspectives to create a city that we can all be proud of, whether I am promoting Calgary within our country and around the world, advocating to other levels of government, serving on community boards, or leading council and collaborating with city teams.