Crash course

In order to hit the ground running when they’re sworn into office next month, the city’s newly elected municipal officials are getting a crash course in city governance at city hall this week.

Mayor-elect Keith Hobbs and Coun.-elect Paul Pugh were joined Tuesday morning by former mayor Ken Boshcoff, at a session that included discussions on conflict-of-interest rules, procedural bylaws, freedom of information requirements and legal and insurance coverage.

Hobbs, who has been a regular spectator in council chambers for months, called the orientation informative, filling in plenty of gaps he needs filled in before he takes office on Dec. 6.

"I think it’s a great idea to do this. The more education we get, the better, you can never stop learning," said Hobbs, who plans to start tackling city spending and working on lowering Thunder Bay’s crime rate shortly after the swearing-in ceremony.

"It’s something we should always strive to do, learn."

Hobbs said he hasn’t been sitting still waiting for his term to begin, he hit the ground running on Oct. 26, the day after the municipal election.

That doesn’t mean he isn’t getting anxious.

"Oh, I’m chomping at the bit to get going. There are so many issues facing Thunder Bay right now and I want to get my teeth into and move forward on a lot of them," Hobbs said. "I actually started back in March immersing myself in the issues.

"This has been a long period since the election. However I am keeping busy talking to people and meeting all the division managers and meeting our partners. I was out at Fort William First Nation yesterday and have met with the president of the university and the president of Confederation College."

Pugh, a union official at Bombardier, is the only other true newcomer to council, having never served in public office before.

He has found the learning curve steep, but the orientation has answered many of his questions.

"I’ve found it particularly interesting in terms of the legal issues that were discussed and also the administrative structure of the city with the different departments and the roles of each of the departments and the managers."

Pugh is the first to admit there’s a lot he doesn’t know about city governance.

"I had a general understanding, but I think this is helping all of us to get a much better, deeper understanding. And of course we’ll be following up with materials that are online and handouts at the meetings so we can do our homework," he said.

Boshcoff, who last served the city at the municipal level in 2003, said orientation is more than a simple refresher course, despite 23 years as a councillor and mayor.

"It’s very important because in seven years the Municipal Act has changed. There’s a whole new set of personnel coming into the city. Some of the dynamics and structures have changed. So I’ve got lots and lots of questions, so this is very helpful," he said.

City clerk John Hannam said having new council members understand the mechanics of how the city works and council’s role is paramount for their success over the next four years.
It’s not just the new guard who benefit. Several returning councillors, including Larry Hebert, Joe Virdiramo and Rebecca Johnson were also there Tuesday for a refresher course.

"It’s also important that they’re here to stimulate the discussion a bit, ask questions the newcomers might not think to ask and that benefits everyone in terms of the session overall. It gives us an opportunity to make sure they have a good foundation on which to start off in December."