Fair to say it’s got to be overwhelming.
The positions of mayor and council in Princeton are technically part time. However the amount of work involved in even just getting used to the job - learning the demands and limits of new roles, as well becoming familiar with local issues and ongoing projects - is simply massive.
No one is going to be able to jump into the deep end of the pool (intentional pun) and start doing the butterfly on the first day, or week, or even the first few months.
Most seasoned politicians would tell you it takes at least a year for a council to get comfortable.
Therefore the sudden resignation of Princeton’s very qualified CAO is - and this is an entry for the 2018 International Awards for Understatement - unfortunate.
Related: Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne comments on CAO’s abrupt resignation
The successful transition of candidate to council member requires the partnership of an experienced and knowledgeable municipal manager, as Princeton had in Cheryl Martens.
Related: Letter to the editor : Former councillor praises exiting CAO
Town staffers are responsible for implementing whatever policies and directions are held as priorities to the newly-sworn mayor and councillors. They are also, however, midway through numerous initiatives set by the previous administration.
Progress on the most significant of these was made at a series of ministerial meetings held during the Union of British Columbia Municipalities conference in September.
At that meeting the town requested provincial funding for a housing needs study, which is a fairly recent requirement of the Local Government Act.
The Ministry of Transportation made a commitment to consider funding for an assessment study of options to replace or improve the brown bridge.
Support was also requested for improved mental health and addictions services, including the development of a local opioid and fentanyl overdose response plan and the introduction of crisis intervention services.
Petitions were once again put forward for the re-establishment of a full-time Conservation Services office in Princeton, and the response requires follow up.
Of course, the application for funding of the proposed Health Wellness and Aquatic Centre was discussed at length.
All this is by way of a reminder that there is much work to do, for both the new council and the present town managers.
The community that voted so overwhelming for change is going to have to be patient, and helpful where possible.
Because somewhere in there council also needs to find time to replace the CAO. And that ain’t gonna be an easy job.
-The Similkameen Spotlight.
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