Article contentAnd here’s what worries me most. The cost of muddling through isn’t measured only in wasted dollars, delayed projects or missed opportunities. It’s measured in the confidence people lose in their government.Article contentA growing cynicismArticle contentTalk to people in business and you’ll hear frustration about how difficult Charlottetown can be to deal with. Talk to residents and you’ll hear a growing cynicism about whether city hall can accomplish much of anything. When people come to expect confusion, delay and bickering, they stop expecting better. Eventually, some stop wanting to get involved at all.Article contentI spent a good part of this summer encouraging people I respect to consider running for city council. Smart, capable people with good judgment and something to contribute. Almost all told me some version of the same thing: the job looked like more trouble than it was worth. They didn’t want to sacrifice their time and energy trying to work within a system they believed had become increasingly ineffective. That should concern every Charlottetown resident.Article contentArticle contentThere are good people putting their names forward in this election, and they deserve credit for doing so. But in four of Charlottetown’s 10 wards, only one candidate is registered. Those seats will be filled without voters having a choice between candidates.Article contentI’m not suggesting that every uncontested ward is a direct consequence of poor leadership. But when capable people tell me they don’t want to get involved because they’ve lost confidence in how city hall operates, I think we have a problem worth talking about.Article contentAnd that brings me back to leadership. Philip Brown is an approachable fellow who shows up at community events, ribbon cuttings and celebrations. There’s nothing wrong with that. A mayor should be visible and connected to the community. But being popular and being an effective leader are not the same thing. Don’t get me wrong; I like Philip. Really! Just not his leadership.Article contentA mayor cannot run the city alone. Councillors and professional staff have important responsibilities of their own. But leadership means setting priorities, demanding accountability and making difficult decisions, even when they aren’t popular. It means creating a culture where people are expected to deliver results, not simply explain why something hasn’t happened.Article contentArticle contentCharlottetown needs that kind of leadership because we have so much worth building on.Article contentPreservation and prosperityArticle contentWe should be encouraging more in our downtown, supporting attainable housing and mixed-use development, and investing in the infrastructure needed to accommodate growth. We should be building up rather than endlessly building out, while protecting the historic character that makes Charlottetown special. Heritage preservation and prosperity should be partners, not enemies.Article contentMost importantly, we should have a city hall that gives residents, businesses and public servants confidence that good ideas will receive a fair hearing, decisions will be made in a timely responsible manner, and public money will be managed carefully.Article contentPeople sometimes ask why I don’t run for mayor myself. My answer is that the people of Charlottetown should at least like their mayor at the beginning of a four-year term. So, I choose to encourage (and prod) from the sidelines, hoping someone will step up to really lead. But I do care about who steps forward to serve, and about the kind of municipal government they’ll inherit.Article contentNov. 2 is an opportunity to ask serious questions about leadership, spending, accountability and the future of Charlottetown. Please make an effort to get out and vote.Article contentThe next four years should be about restoring the confidence that the last eight have eroded.Article contentArticle contentTim Banks is the CEO of APM MacLean and lives in Charlottetown.Article content
COMMENTARY: What two terms of muddling through have cost Charlottetown
