Saturday, October 23, 2004
Stephen Mandel, Cabinet Maker
So I assume that everybody has by now heard about Edmonton Mayor-Elect Stephen Mandel's plan to create a "municipal cabinet", in which each Councillor would be assigned responsibility for some area of municipal jurisdiction (e.g. transit, housing, etc.).
My initial reaction was that this was a bad idea. It seemed to me as though it blurred the lines between executive and legislative functions, and that it could pervert the constituent-Councillor bond by requiring the Councillor to work on those areas Council considers important rather than the one that constituents consider important. I had even gone some way towards composing a rebuttal on POI to Chris Jones's endorsement of the idea.
However, further reflection has softened my opinion somewhat. These portfolios can be perhaps best considered as committees of one, and I do not believe that anything the results in a more effective municipal committee system could be a bad thing. If this allows City Council to function with input from a greater variety of sources, allows Councillors to develop a higher degree of expertise in the areas under its jurisdiction, thereby decreasing reliance on the city administration, it's a good thing. And I'm willing to give almost any idea Mandel floats about now a chance.
Later: why progressives should eschew partisan politics, using Stephen Mandel and the CBC's "Greatest Canadian" survey as examples of why.
At some point: My pick for the Greatest Canadian.
(Note: given my slacker attitude towards this blog, it's possible that one or both of the above entries will not actually appear.)
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So I assume that everybody has by now heard about Edmonton Mayor-Elect Stephen Mandel's plan to create a "municipal cabinet", in which each Councillor would be assigned responsibility for some area of municipal jurisdiction (e.g. transit, housing, etc.).
My initial reaction was that this was a bad idea. It seemed to me as though it blurred the lines between executive and legislative functions, and that it could pervert the constituent-Councillor bond by requiring the Councillor to work on those areas Council considers important rather than the one that constituents consider important. I had even gone some way towards composing a rebuttal on POI to Chris Jones's endorsement of the idea.
However, further reflection has softened my opinion somewhat. These portfolios can be perhaps best considered as committees of one, and I do not believe that anything the results in a more effective municipal committee system could be a bad thing. If this allows City Council to function with input from a greater variety of sources, allows Councillors to develop a higher degree of expertise in the areas under its jurisdiction, thereby decreasing reliance on the city administration, it's a good thing. And I'm willing to give almost any idea Mandel floats about now a chance.
Later: why progressives should eschew partisan politics, using Stephen Mandel and the CBC's "Greatest Canadian" survey as examples of why.
At some point: My pick for the Greatest Canadian.
(Note: given my slacker attitude towards this blog, it's possible that one or both of the above entries will not actually appear.)
