PRESS RELEASE : LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

More Attention For Council Positions Needed

Media attention and thereby public perceptions are focussed almost entirely on the Mayoralty contest during these local body elections.

As Mayoral candidates we appreciate being able to share our visions for the city’s future.

But this strong and almost exclusive focus on the mayoralty overlooks the reality that the Mayor has only one vote in the Council Chamber.

Far more attention should be given to profiling the calibre, experience and wisdom of the candidates for the other nineteen Council positions.

To the extent that Councillor candidates are unknown the city is flying blind into the future. This is a deep worry for our democratic well-being.

The elevation of the mayoral position during this election nurtures the belief that the Mayor somehow has more power than one vote. Perhaps it is a superstition to ensure the voters have some control over the future of the city. But it is a vague hope because the Mayor has only this one vote out of twenty.

Of course, some mayoral aspirants encourage the perception of being all-powerful. This is particularly the case of those with mayoral experience. Invariably, they claim personal ownership for the successes of their reign. This is galling for hard working Councillors and administrators who have done the work. And, a consequence of this presumptuous inference Mayors must also accept the inevitable failings of their Council as their responsibility.

Once elected, the Mayor must make it clear that statements are made either in the Mayor’s own capacity and without the authority of Council, or as the leader of a particular team of Councillors.

Councillors become annoyed when they learn about an issue in the media and are forced to react to the Mayor flying solo on issues.

If a position promoted by the Mayor is defeated in the Council Chamber without majority support then the Mayor will be regarded as weak, ineffective or guilty of flip-flopping.

Good governance requires the Mayor to clearly represent the views of the majority of elected representatives. The Mayor should be entitled to express personal opinions from time to time but there is a democratic obligation to the electorate to make known the mind of the governing Council.

So we should demythologise the mayoral mystique and understand the Mayor’s limited authority. This could be assisted by the media focusing far more on other Council candidates.

This would not need to diminish the crucial symbolic role of the Mayoralty and it could be a good dose of reality therapy.

ends

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