Building a Two-Way Street

(from a media release event at Komfort Kitchen Sept 24th, 2010)

ACCOUNTABILITY:

The people have the right to know, and City Hall has a duty to inform.

"As Mayor, I will not shy away from public questioning. I promise that
I will open City Hall and the Office of Mayor up to scrutiny by the people of
Brandon. by holding regular public meetings such as Town Halls, people in
Brandon will have the opportunity to come and directly quiz me and senior
decision makers on the topical issues for the City, such as the economy,
policing, housing, recreation, and the environment."

"I believe in dialogue, NOT monologue."

Planned, on-going communication would keep Brandon residents informed, engaged, and in sync with City planning and priorities. Brandon's City Hall needs a broad communication strategy so that it meets the community's needs, as well as meeting City Hall's needs. The strategy should incorporate face-to-face, formal, casual, verbal, written, and online methods.



Town Halls

Many Counsellors have Ward Meetings on a regular basis, however the Mayor needs to create a similar opportunity for all the City. Following a State of the City format with a Question Period from the audience, regular Town Halls would encourage residents in Brandon and the decision makers at City Hall to have open lines of communication. This kind of face-to-face communication can help rebuild trust in City government.

"Town Hall meetings give the audience an opportunity to express their
opinions. There are ways for people to get information FROM the Mayor, but Town
Halls provide a way for people to get information TO the Mayor. Two-way
communication is critical to reduce confusion and misunderstanding, and give the
Mayor the opportunity to hear directly from the people."

Public Consultation (issue specific)

The benefits of public consultation include:

• Being responsive to the community's right to know and to be involved, and the duty of City Hall to inform.
• Recognizing the value of the opinions and expertise offered by members of the public allows City Council to tap into the widest source of information possible, improving the quality of the decisions reached.
• Alerts Council to any concerns and issues not picked up through existing research or policy development.
• Ensuring information and knowledge is shared with and/ or received from the public.
• Providing opportunities to build consensus around issues or changes.

Fireside Chats prior to Council meetings (broadcast on Access 12 WCGtv)

During a short broadcast prior to WCGtv's broadcast of City Council meetings, a pre-recorded "Fireside Chat" would give the Mayor the opportunity to talk about specific initiatives at City Hall, celebrate achievements and awards in the community, or provide information on ongoing City initiatives.

Coffee with the Mayor

This is a great opportunity for people in Brandon to discuss specific issues with the Mayor in a casual, informal setting. It is also an excellent opportunity for the Mayor to gather candid feedback about how things are going in our City, what programs, services, and facilities people are enjoying and which could use improvement, and what they'd like to see in the future. There would be no agenda or topic of the day other than to meet Brandon residents and hear what's on their mind.

Blog

For those who prefer online, written communication, blogs are an effective tool for sharing information and opinions. It could also contain references and links to other online information. It would be moderated and hosted on the City website.

Facebook (FB)

city Hall is already dipping its toe into social networking, and these initiatives should be expanded. Facebook is a forum to connect with people both inside and outside the City. FB is also a way to keep in touch with people who have moved away from the city or connect with people moving into the city. On other city's FB sites, Quality of Life issues are the most prevalent posts-status updates.

Open Government for City Hall!

(media release Sept. 21, 2010)

Transparency means that something can be seen through. when we talk about transparency at city Hall, we mean that residents in Brandon must be able to "see through" its workings, to know exactly what goes on when public officials transact public business.

Like goo business decisions, good policy decisions are data driven. The public needs to be confident that their tax dollars are being spent effectively. Without that confidence, there is no trust.

Residents are shareholders in the City. As such, they are entitled to regular performance reports. Reporting needs to be public and accessible, based on a framework of agreed upon goals and measures. There are three types of reporting that lay a foundation of trust between residents and the people elected to represent them.

Published benchmarks- updated on a regular basis (quarterly, annually)
Citizens in Brandon need a series of quantitative benchmarks that can track economic development and community well being. The insights garnered from the data would help policy makers, the business community, practitioners, researchers, and external users such as business location recruiters and government funders build a stronger foundation for the future.

Data could be gathered, analyzed, and disseminated on (ideally) a quarterly, or annual basis. It would be comparable year over year. As community identified priorities change, benchmarks would be adjusted to show progress against those priorities. Benchmarks address tow critical questions:

Do we have efficient and effective services?
Internal: Internal performance measure enable City Hall to continually monitor and improve on service delivery to Brandonites, and most importantly, explain exactly how your tax dollars are working for you. Some examples of tangible services that could be benchmarked include:

• Adequacy of roads- percentage of paved kilometers where the condition is rated as good to very good.
• Wastewater main backups- number of wastewater main backups per 100 kilometers of wastewater mains in a year.
• Green space- hectares of open city-owned green space per 1,000 persons.
• Participant hours for recreation programs- total participant hours for recreation programs per 1,000 persons.
• Building permits issued
• Taxable assessment per capita

How are we growing and are we more prosperous?

External: based on survey or census data

• Tracking shifts in population: numbers and demographics
• Average household income
• Home ownership levels\
• Employment rates
• Immigration
• Job creation
• Small business start-ups

Why does Brandon need to incorporate benchmarks in its public reporting?

Benchmarks would allow the City to:

• Assess the areas where Brandon is strong and doing well.
• Identify areas where there may be opportunities to improve services that could result in cost savings or service improvements.
• Integrate benchmarking into strategies for continuous improvement of operations.
• Provide a foundation for more detailed analysis of selected services.

Report Card- annually, available online and distributed to all households

The Brandon Report Card would be a one-pager and a way to share important information regarding the delivery of municipal services and to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of those services. These measures focus primarily on service quality, benefits to citizens, and the impacts on the quality of life in Brandon. They would be based on broad themes and be the roll-up of individual benchmarks. Themes could be Quality of Life, Prosperity, Leadership, Community Engagement, Safety.

Annual Report- available online and upon request

Residents are shareholders in the City, and should have access to an Annual Report on performance and annual reporting on the progress of the Strategic Plan. the plan would unite the focus of Council and the community. It would provide clarity about Brandon's future, and would outline the concrete actions that we would take to get us there. It's a blueprint for success, serving as Brandon's roadmap- in good times and bad. It would align day-to-day work at city Hall with the priorities of the City. It enables Brandon to be transparent about the vision for the future and how we would get there.

The Annual Report would not be just a review of the past years accomplishments, but also forward looking toward the upcoming year's priorities and goals. The Report could include reporting on:

• Prudent management of the city's finances
• Innovative use of information technology
• Accessible customer service
• Proactive communications with Brandon residents
• Safety and security practices within the City

The Young and the Restless: Let's make Brandon more attractive to young people

(remarks from Sept 16 announcement at Parthenon's Pizza)

If Brandon is going to thrive and grow, we need to be a place where young people want to be. Why do I say this?

• Young, educated people are the most mobile people in Canada, and will go where they sense they will have the most opportunity.
• Young, educated people are an indicator of a city's economic vitality, but they are also a key contributor to economic vitality.
• people in the 25 - 34 year old group are the most entrepreneurial in our society.
• For the first time, women in this age group are better educated than men, making them key to developing a base of talent.
• Place matters, and Brandon needs to start working to build a city that young people want to live in.

Cities have long competed over job growth, struggling to revive their downtowns and improve their image. Now, the latest population trends have forced them to fight for college/ university educated 25-34 year olds, a demographic group increasingly viewed as the key to an economic future.

" Mobile, but not flighty; fresh, and technologically savvy, the young
and the restless as demographers call them, are at their most desirable because
the chances of relocating drop precipitously after they turn 35. Cities that do not attract them now will be hurting in a decade.
And unlike the popular myth, they usually don't come home to raise their
family." Richard Florida- Who's your
city?

We have over 5,000 students at BU, ACC, and the Fire College who are, in effect, test driving Brandon. According to the 2006 Census, 25% of our population is between 15-30. Brandon needs a plan for young people that does two things- makes Brandon a place where our young people want to stay, and makes Brandon a place where young people want to move to.

We often say that we want to keep our young people in Brandon. To do that we're going to need to offer the employment opportunities and the lifestyle that they are looking for.

October announcements that will complement this announcement:

• Great Career Opportunities
• Affordable Housing
• Downtown Revitalization
• Culture and Heritage

Great Lifestyle:

Like most of us, young people don't live to work but work to live. They play in bands and sports leagues. They like to go out and not just with people from the office. they're as interested in parks and bike trails as fancy sports arenas and concert halls. they want fun neighbourhoods, art galleries, coffeehouses, nightlife and diversity in everything from race and sexual orientation to music and fashion.

Brandon is a college town that people retire to-

NOT a retirement community with students.

How do we make this statement ring true? If we are going to do more than pay lip service to keeping our young people in Brandon, we're going to need a plan. Comprehensive planning includes data, goals, participation, and evaluation. A plan to recruit and retain young people has to be more than an ad or slogan. It should be multifaceted, dealing with elements such as:

• Earning- employment and career opportunities
• Social Capital- diversity and tolerance
• Around Town- ease of getting to and around town
• Cost of Lifestyle- affordability and cost of living
• Downtown Housing-
• Vitality- a healthy community where people are active. It includes recreational amenities.
• After Hours- things to do after 5pm.amenities that provide social outlets and opportunities for young people to connect with one another are important.

1,000 Things To Do.....

Brandon needs a plan that includes the concept of a 1,000 nights. If people graduate from post-secondary at about age 22 and don't start a family until 32, and go out twice a week, that gives them about 1,000 nights in which they can go out to have fun.

My question to all of you is, do we have 1,000 nights of fun in Brandon for those people? If we don't figure this out, the young people aren't staying.

And if we have a city that young people are attracted to, where do we take that message? How do we recruit young people? Young people gather their information about where to live from personal experiences, friends, family, and local web sites. So based on that, here are a few ideas:

Don't loose touch with our own

• Recruit college and university students when they are home visiting families.
• Recruit Brandon-born students who are studying on other campuses- Brandon clubs
• a web based newsletter through parents

Build the brand

• Smart cities attract smart people
• special page in the Brandon Sun's web page targeted to young people with housing, career, and social info
• Relocation videos have begun to feature mosh pits and dread locks rather than ducks and sunsets
• Develop ideas to help businesses market to young professionals and college students.
• Market ourselves to ourselves (retain vs recruit)

Childcare in an Age-Friendly City

The provision of child care in Manitoba is primarily a Provincial responsibility. That being said, child care is an essential community-based service and it makes a valuable contribution to the social and economic development of Brandon.

The lack of child care threatens Brandon's high quality of life and our City's future prosperity. Child care is also an investment in the future; as high quality child care is associated with improved child outcomes, including school readiness and success.

To prosper, Brandon needs to be committed to being a leader and an active partner with the senior levels of government, the Brandon School Division, business, child care providers, faith organizations, parents, and the community in developing and maintaining a comprehensive child care system.

#1: Brandon needs a community wide child care strategy- this strategy would:

• define the City's role in relation to senior levels of government,
• recommend policies and tools to support existing spaces and facilitate the provision of new child care spaces,
• identify potential funding and partnership arrangements, and
• establish child care targets by which the strategy can be regularly monitored and evaluated.
• establish a child care strategy task group with broad stakeholder representation
• carry out a needs assessment for child care in the city (what we have and what we need).

#2: Enhance the City's status as a progressive employer- a joint employer-employee committee would be established to review the City's policies and practices and where possible, recommend adjustments to assist city employees to better balance their responsibilities to both work and family. This committee would also determine the child care needs of employees and explore options in meeting those needs.

#3: Work with the Brandon School Division with a goal to transform neighbourhood schools into community hubs in after-school hours. This builds on the successful Lighthouse After school Program that served 500 children last year, Youth Activity Centres (291 children) were introduced this year as well as seasonal recreation HUBS (362 children).

• Phase 1- extended daycare, before and after school care, early literacy programming, ESL language classes, parenting classes, parent and tot drop-in programs, public health
• Phase 2- adult and family literacy programming, community meeting spaces
• Phase 3- seniors and youth support services

#4: Incorporate Early Childhood Development principles into child focused City programs.

Roadmap for Change

(remarks from the campaign platform launch Sept 10, 2010)

Earlier in the week, I said that I would be a different kind of mayor than our incumbent. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I am a different kind of mayoral candidate running a different kind of campaign. Today I would like to share with you ideas that could encourage Brandon's growth into the kind of city we want it to be. The come from a year of reflection and effort, looking at Brandon's strengths and weaknesses. There are no gimmicks, slogans, or 5 point plans. And I apologize in advance, because despite the advice from some great political minds, it is dense, single spaced and double-sided.

Brandon is facing complex issues, and therefore needs a reasoned response that matches in complexity. Our platform today is not made of superficial headline grabbers, but thoughtful ideas with substance. Because challenging an incumbent is difficult, and my only legacy after the election many be the power of ideas.

I call it a road map, because the points are connected, and they do lead somewhere. so let's get started on the journey.

For the past year, I've been listening to people in Brandon talk about the future of their city. It sounds like they are not confident that Brandon has the leadership necessary to get where they want to go.

Today we're going to talk about four critical elements that form the foundation for the future direction of Brandon. Within the four broad themes are examples of policy, programs, or services that illustrate how the loft concepts of planning, process, vision, and leadership translate to their kitchen table.

#1: PLANNING- Many people in Brandon feel that we do not have a cohesive plan for our City. Yes, there are plans. They are gathered together in many binders, and are sitting on shelves all over the City. But how can you say we have a plan for a city when we're closing down recreation facilities, when we build fire halls next to congested highways, where we spend 10 years purchasing different properties for that same fire hall, and then a week deciding to put it in a questionable location. that's not good planning, in fact that's not planning at all.

Specific platform announcements during the week of Sept 12-18 about how we PLAN to make Brandon more people-focused include:

• How and why we need to make Brandon an Age-Friendly City
• How and why Brandon needs to take a more active role in childcare.
• What Brandon can do to be a more attractive community for young people.

#2: PROCESS- People in Brandon feel shut out of the decision making process at City Hall. they only hear about decisions after they are made,they only get to comment on them on e-Brandon or Sound Off.They don't know WHY decisions are made. they pay a lot of money through their taxes but yet have no voice, except at election time. The mayor and Council announced that they were changing the garbage collection system. Have they listened when we told them about seniors unable to drag the bins through snowbanks? About ugly line-ups of dozen of bins behind apartment buildings? about the struggle to get grass clippings, garden trimmings, and leaves to central depots?

Specific platform announcements during the week of September 19-25 about the PROCESS we'd put in place to make Brandon more people-focused include:

• Mayor's Priority Survey
• Transparency processes including benchmarking
• Public access to the Mayor and the Mayor's responsibility for public accountability.

#3: VISION- We need strategic thinking for a growing city. Where do we want our city to be in 5 years, in 10 years? Where is the vision for our downtown? How is Brandon adapting to our immigration boom? To the new knowledge-based economy? What are we doing to create a city that young people want to stay in or move to? I believe that you cannot build a prosperous city on a large pool of low skill, low wage jobs. Therefore, how are we going to utilize a couple of our key competitive advantages- the RHA, BU, and ACC to strengthen our economy?

Specific platform announcements during the week of September 26-October 2 about the VISION of what could make Brandon more people-focused include:

• Downtown revitalization
• Quality of Place- culture, heritage, and recreation
• Housing Strategy
• Once Smart City- economic development strategy for the new economy.

#4: LEADERSHIP- Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.Poor planning, poor communications, lack of accountability, lack of transparency, no vision- these are all symptoms of a lack of leadership.

We only have to look outside Brandon to see what communities with strong leadership can accomplish. Carberry's downtown is a designated heritage district, Virden is pushing ahead with an impressive rec centre, Brandon families are driving to Souris to use their pool, Portage is embarking on an innovative and progressive cluster economic development strategy, Neepawa is building seniors housing. Brandon used to be a leader in Western Manitoba- now we only have size on our side.

If I'm elected mayor, the doors to municipal government will be open to new ideas, and the "can't do" attitude pervasive at City Hall will be gone for good.

If I can sum up in one word what I believe we need most from the office of mayor, that word would be leadership- clear, consistent, decisive leadership. Leadership that will move us forward in a way that makes a tangible difference. Leadership that doesn't confuse rhetoric with results. Leadership that doesn't confuse activity with achievement.

It seems that Brandon has lost its edge, that we've lost our drive. We can change that. On October 27th, we can take it back.

Change Starts Now!

Remarks from the opening of Shari's Campaign Office (841 Rosser Avenue)



Since October 27th, 2009, I have been campaign for change. Not just changing who sits in the mayor's chair- but more importantly, campaigning to change where we think this city should be in 5 years, in 10 years from now, changing how we go about creating the plan to get there, changing the way we work together to bring about a new vision for Brandon.



I have been working hard to show you that I would be a different kind of mayor than our incumbent; that I would do things differently. For example, I've been campaigning already for 315 days, walking from one end of Brandon to the other, knocking on doors, meeting with community groups, businesses, seniors, sports teams, parents, students, environmentalists, teachers, nurses. I've been doing research and talking with experts about how other cities are dealing with some of the issues that are challenging Brandon- downtown revitalization, economic clusters, recreation, environmental strategy, community focused policing, demographic shifts in population and their impacts on municipal planning. I've been doing my homework on how our city works, and how it could work better.



We are not launching the Shari for Mayor campaign today, but rather shifting into high gear as we enter the final phase of the election. I have been privileged to talk with you, and more importantly, to listen to you- about the kind of city you want to live in, to raise families in, to make business investments in, to out down roots in.



And I've heard a lot! Like me you love this city, but you are not satisfied with status quo. You are proud of Brandon, and you have great ideas and a passion to make it better.



As I said earlier, I'd be a very different mayor than our incumbent. And one of those differences is that I care about what the people of Brandon have to say. Because elected civic leaders must also represent the interests of the voter; which is hard to do if you have never asked them what they believe the key priorities of the city should be. Without asking, all you have is a one-man show.



So one of the things we're going to do is ask for your advice. for the next couple of weeks, volunteers will be out surveying the community, asking Brandonites about what they see as the key priorities for the incoming Mayor over the next few years. This is your chance to begin to shape the future direction of our city.



It won't surprise me to see the survey results reflect what I've already heard on the doorstep. The future you've said you wanted includes a vibrant downtown; clean, affordable neighbourhoods to raise our kids in; a safe city to retire and enjoy life in; an economy that stops the brain-drain, where our graduates don't have to leave town to find a job; a community rich in culture and entertainment. A city where, after a hard days work, you can find a place to chill with friends.



Because you want to live in a city rich with opportunity and alive with experiences.



But to get there, we need a mayor who says "I take responsibility for the future of our city", and who then can roll up her sleeves and get things done!



This election is about the direction of our city. Brandon is in a period of rapid change- we are not the same city we have been. There are many challenges associated with that- and there are many opportunities as well.



There are important questions to answer in this election. If we look ahead to what we want our city to be in five years, does our current mayor have the vision and leadership to get us there?



At the end of the day, this is THE critical question, and so this is a campaign about leadership. And this election is about leadership. And leadership is not just about cutting ribbons, throwing out the first pitch, handing out plaques. Leadership is about action, not about position.



There are now 50 days to the election.



October 27th is about how we work together. The upcoming mayoral race is not about one person holding one elected office. This election is about all the people of Brandon, who deserve a mayor who listens and talks with them about the issues that affect their lives. Democracy is about participation.



October 27th is also about getting back to the basics and focusing on rebuilding public trust and restoring confidence in City Hall. Which is why I'll be on the front steps of City Hall this Friday, September 10th at noon to outline our platform for change.



I believe in a better Brandon! But to get there Brandon needs change. On October 27th, we need to create the change want to see: energy, vision, leadership. And that change is starting right here, today. Thank you for coming.

Brandon- One Smart City

Brandon cannot build a community, nor an economy on low-paid, low-skilled workers. We need to shift our focus to economic opportunities based on knowledge. To do that, we need to invest in knowledge production- through partnerships with the College and University in the areas of research and technology transfer. We also need to invest in our human capital through increased skills, training, and education.

In the new knowledge based economy, education and workforce development are critical.

• For individuals, they will need skills beyond those learned in high school in order to get started on career paths and in order to advance they'll need to keep upgrading those skills.
• For businesses to compete, they need top-class talent that understands that innovation is linked to productivity.
• For communities to compete, they need substantial pools of talented workers that are available today, as well as in the pipeline (in education and training venues) for tomorrow.

In the past, Brandon mayors who have wanted to strengthen the economy offered incentives such as tax breaks, expansion loans, site acquisition and zoning assistance to attract or retain businesses to build advantage. The thinking was that by lowering the cost of those assets, Brandon gained a competitive advantage as a business location.

But there is always somewhere that can (and will) offer a better deal. And in today's economy, it is the human assets are where value and wealth are being created.

Times are changing. Knowledge creation and the lack of skilled workers have become core economic concerns. The last couple of MNP Brandon Business Climate surveys showed that businesses are not finding people with the skills they need. And since skills determine a person's income potential, if we want Brandon to become more prosperous, we need people living in Brandon to have higher skills and higher incomes.

To be competitive and attract those kinds of businesses and those kinds of people, Brandon needs to create more than a good business climate, we need to create a good people climate. Because for those very mobile, talented workers, quality of place and quality of life are paramount concerns. And Brandon has the opportunity to be very competitive in those two areas. They are not luxuries for our economic strategy, but must haves- to attract and retain the workforce that we will need to build the new economy in Brandon.