Do You Have What It Takes?
By John Swartz
So you think you can do a better job being an Orillia councillor. 2026 is an election year and there is no better time to figure out if you should run – and most importantly what the job entails.
There is much more to it than looking good every other Monday. Preparing to be a councillor is observably not the most common trait among past candidates and those that can speak with some knowledge of municipal structure and policies can have an edge at campaign time.
The first thing to know is what are municipal responsibilities, and what the province and feds have jurisdiction over. Council runs the show and despite appearances lately, council actually directs policy and procedures, not staff.
It takes time to be a councillor. Councillors serve on committees, several committees, which meet monthly, or sometimes more often.. There are also extra council meetings scheduled throughout a year. Having a bit of an understanding of how the budget is made up is important.
The City’s website has many of the tools you need to understand why things are the way they are; everything from the budget, to zoning, plans for parks, transportation and climate change are online.
A resource for those thinking of running is the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Their website has pages and pages of information about issues all municipalities face, especially with the provincial and federal governments.
The AMO also has an online seminar available to anyone who signs up. There are four sessions (6:30 to 8 p.m.), one each month starting December 3. The program is designed to help people sort out their motivations and turn those in to action. They even have a part about keeping your sanity in political life.
Joining the seminar is free and you can register for participation here.
(Image Supplied)
