Are you allowed to do that? is a question I am getting used to hearing. People want to know what guidelines I have to follow as a councillor. They might be talking about what I say in an e-newsletter I send out, how I present a topic in a Sherwood Park News article (provided free and as a public service, thanks Mike!) or even what hours I have to keep. Many people are quite shocked to discover the guidelines around councillors are pretty broad. We are required, by law to follow the MGA (Municipal Government Act) and any bylaws (as long as they dont contravene the MGA) that council passes. We were elected by the people in our ward and when we took office, we swore an oath to do the best we can for Strathcona County. That means no one who works for the County is the boss of a councillor. Even the CAO (Chief Administrative Officer or City Manager) can not tell a Councillor they can not do or say something. They cant reprimand them or demand they stop anything. What this means, in a Coles Notes nutshell, is that the people in the politicians constituency are the ones who did the hiring. That means they are the ones with the most power to apply pressure. Council does have a very limited ability to police themselves, but they are required, by law not to interfere with the ability of an elected official to do their job. On Tuesday, at the next council meeting, the Governance Advisory Committee is bringing the Councillor Code of Conduct forward for review. We have made recommendations to put into policy some possible sanctions if councillors do not comply with their code of ethics. Here is a link to the existing Code of Conduct: strathcona.ca/files/files/at-lls-mph-gov-001-028councilcodeofconduct.pdf To get a general idea of what the MGA says about councillors, visit: municipalaffairs.alberta.ca/am_roles_and_responsibilities_of_officials_in_a_local_government.cfm The lesson from all this? Vote carefully! If you have any questions, dont hesitate to drop me a line!
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 01:20:44 +0000
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