Being on council has been a deeply meaningful experience and I’ve got lots of people to thank for that.
To my wife Nancy, our daughters and my in-laws Ken & Adeleine Kolkind (who are perhaps the best campaigners in our whole family): You were the foundation that supported me in doing this.
To our friends, whether you were a part of a mighty sign crew or offered encouragement or sometimes just gave space to have normal conversations rather than political talk: I always felt validated in our social gatherings.
To the many Salmon Arm residents who reached out to talk – no matter if we agreed on things or not: I have learned so much from your perspectives that you’ve shared with me. You shaped my understandings immeasurably.
To City staff: Your professionalism and dedication to a better Salmon Arm is unparalleled. Council’s job is to make policy decisions. Staff’s job is to implement those directives faithfully and you have done so consistently. I recognize the heavy lifting you all do for Salmon Arm’s benefit. On a more personal note, I’ve needed some workplace accommodations in order to fulfill my council role. You’ve supported me seamlessly in making this happen and I appreciate your efforts in doing that.
So: Thanks to all of you who’ve provided these circles of support.
To our current ‘Outgoing’ council – and really for all 3 previous ones over the past 12 years:
I’m proud of how we committed to the importance of working collaboratively and to reach consensus among 7 very independent thinking individuals. Our decision-making was free of the toxic partisanship that we see at higher levels of government and sadly more and more with some local governments as well. We’ve all shared leadership at council and it’s a real group attribute to be proud of.
To the ‘Incoming’ council with 3 new Councillors-Elect: What an awesome and meaningful opportunity to help make decisions that will shape the future of Salmon Arm. Part of that is ‘What’ you’ll be doing and part of that is ‘How” you’ll be doing it.
For the ‘What’ piece: You’ll be working on your own initiatives for sure but I’m going to suggest that a lot of your work will also be on mid-stream initiatives started by others who are no longer at the council table and sometime down the line, your ideas will be worked on by others after you’ve left council. That’s one aspect that I didn’t fully appreciate when I first got started.
Here’s an interesting fact: In Salmon Arm, since the 2005 city council – so for the past 21 years – there have been only 13 elected officials over that time who have made both the small and the consequential decisions for our city. This is the legacy aspect of council decision-making. By 2030 – by the end of this new term, you 3 new councillors will bring that total up to 16 decision-makers over 25 years. That’s pretty impactful … No pressure mind you! … I’m completely confident in your individual and collective skills to do just that.
And then there’s the ‘How’ part:
How we do things matters as you well know… but first some context. I have lots of good photos with all of our council but this one, of Kevin and myself taken a few years ago now, is my favourite of all. It reflects I feel the importance of forging agreement on better policies amidst all the differing ideas and agendas out there.
Kevin exhibited the best of the best in his local government work.
Be committed to productive relationships with residents, council and the governments we need to work with even if it seems at times that you’re the only one trying.
Be Prepared: I have no idea if Kevin was ever a Boy Scout or not but he completely knew the files and the issues inside and out. Being ready goes a long way in advancing things.
Be analytical and ask lots of questions:
Be passionate without a doubt on the things that matter to you.
Be ready to change your mind if the circumstances warrant it.
Be kind to those around you … but especially to yourself as well.
In short Be like Kevin and you too will lead that meaningful impact for our city.
So that’s it for me Mayor Harrison. I’ve had the opportunity in life to try to make real differences in how things are done … and I’m so appreciative of having had the chance to do some of that here at our council table. Thanks for that everyone. It’s been a privilege!
