When it comes to distinguishing the two mayoral candidates, its more about how than what, according to challenger Richard Lee.
Lee who is hoping to oust long-standing Richmond mayor Malcolm Brodie promises that how things get done at city hall would change if he was elected mayor Nov. 19.
I would be hands-on, not only as the mayor but as the executive officer of staff.
Lee believes far too much control is handed over to city hall bureaucrats, to the point that senior staff members, instead of elected officials, are directing policy.
He compares it to a board of governors for a large corporation.
Ive been on boards and its often very clear that we are just there to approve governance. Thats not, however, how a city should be run, according to Lee.
Lee uses the noise bylaw as an example. The bylaw was drafted to curb noise pollution and, in particular, address two long-standing disputes between Andrews Road residents and True World Foods in Steveston and between Caithcart Road residents and the Shark Club on Bridgeport.
According to Lee, mayor and council directed the complaints to staff who drafted a bylaw which, he believes, fails to address residents concerns because mayor and council gave staff too much free reign throughout the process.
The mayor should have had a closer ear to residents and more explicit policy directions for staff so the final bylaw would satisfy the concerns of the residents.
Lee holds the mayor particularly responsible for this dissidence because, although the mayor has just one vote like all the others on council, he also has an executive function and can be more directly involved with staff.
Brodie patently disagrees with Lees assessment, saying the consultation process with the public was extensive. And he was highly involved with staff throughout the process.
I just dont agree. We meet with public all the time.
Also, it simply not the case that staff is running the show, according to Brodie.
Obviously they have influence; theyre professionals, they do extensive research and provide recommendations, but the decisions are made by mayor and council.
I work very closely with the public and very closely with staff. There are so many issues that come up, there are bound to be things you dont agree with, but its a matter of letting everyone have input and come up with the strongest result for the community because thats who youre accountable to, the community.
Youre a mayor, youre not a king, Brodie added. By more hands on does he mean everyone has to do what the mayor wants?
Regarding the current noise bylaw, Brodie added, staffs role is to make recommendations, from a professional as opposed to political point of view, as to what the best course of action. You have to listen closely to what staff say, they are your advisors, but they make those recommendations based on various consultation with area residents and economic advisory and other groups to find out what the public and these groups are saying and how those suggestions can be incorporated into the bylaw a matter.
Brodie has been mayor since 2001. In the last term, hes seen the opening of the Canada Line and the hosting of the Richmond segment of the Winter Olympics.
But while those were high profile projects, the trick to running a city well is holding all sectors in balance keeping taxes low, fostering business development, addressing social issues, maintaining green spaces, shrinking the citys carbon footprint, and providing quality of life features such as community centres, said Brodie.
Particular issues come to the fore at particular times, but it would be a mistake to prioritize one over another, he added.
I belief we have to have an overarching view and bring them all along together.
While some elected officials may emphasize business interests while others focus on social initiatives, the clear party lines that create division in the Legislature, for example, are not present on Richmond city council.
You often have people on the same slate disagreeing and voting against each other, and people from different slates agreeing.
It can make it hard for voters to know where candidates stand, but its also one of the strengths of city council, said Brodie.
It means people vote their conscience. Its not about being in power or in opposition, its about being accountable to the people.
And the people are always close at hand, he added.
We are so near to the people, when Victoria decides its not going to carry on with a certain program and that impacts people in our community, those people turn to city council. You cannot do anything but get close to that program. Back when the provincial government was making a lot of cuts, they said, were not down loading, because we dont expect you to pick up the slack, but thats easy for them to say. They dont have to look people in the eye and say, no, Im not going to do anything for you.
Brodie said he welcomes a challenge for his seat as it makes him focus on the big picture.
It makes you sit down and think about what we have done to this point and where do we see the priorities.
Regarding goals for the next term, its a matter of persevering and enhancing our quality of life as we grow as a city. Its a matter of the city centre area, which is going to take the most density, to keep that area livable, working with our business sector, enhancing the social side, taking care of the enforcement, while keeping taxes low.
