The city plans to hire up to two positions for lobbying efforts, increased communications outreach.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
City council now has a budget to hire staff to co-ordinate political action and produce its own public communications strategy following budget amendment debate this week.
Changes would give up to $250,000 for two positions and office expenses related to what is described as lobbying efforts and increased outreach beyond the city’s corporate communications office – changes most council members say are needed.
Many of the final details are to be determined, but after an 8-1 approval, one current and one former councillor are questioning if the change is needed so soon after new councillors have taken over.
Introducing the amendment, Mayor Linnsie Clark said all members of council share one executive assistant, who also has out-of-office responsibilities, and limited ability to connect with decision makers at other levels of government.
“It’s unacceptable at this point in time considering the competition for grants and getting issues of the radar of other governments,” said Clark.
She said over the last several years citizens have increasing asked the city for aid on issues that are provincial or federal realm, such as health or housing. That requires politician-to-politician interaction, while the volume of citizen requests has grown in the age of social media.
“The type of communication that the public wants is not the corporate style of communications,” she said. “(These funds are) necessary for us to do our job well.”
The amendment, passed as part of a $1.4-million package of new funds including operating money for the Moose and Crestwood Rec Centres, was accepted by an 8-1 vote, with Coun. Darren Hirsch voicing concern.
He said council members have the ability to lobby whomever they want, and the new council group should get more time under its belt before adding positions and changing established procedure.
“To say (lobbying) is not within our bally-wick is wrong, quite frankly,” said Hirsch. “We have a communications department and I’m not worried about them pivoting (to new roles).”
He said adding positions sends the wrong message and could prove difficult to remove and hard to manage if under council control rather than the current administrative structure.
Former council member Phil Turnbull said the move could be seen by the public as changing the descriptions for jobs just won in the election.
“In my mind this is money to do the legwork,” he told the News on Tuesday. “That’s the job of a councillor, and the mayor is supposed to be the lobbyist.”
Current councillors said the job is changing, however.
Council veteran, Coun. Robert Dumanowski said over the years, a “ferocious appetite from the public” for council’s attention has grown.
“Even though it wasn’t broke, there’s a chance to improve it,” he said. “If it doesn’t show a payoff soon, I’ll be looking to change.”
First-term councillor Shila Sharps called it “shocking” the positions didn’t exist already.
“We’re looking for some political infrastructure, because what we don’t do is rally the troops around Medicine Hat,” she said.
“It’s not a secretary that we’re looking for, it’s someone to approach ministers and getting every bit of business we can.”
Coun. Andy McGrogan said the results of the 2021 election show public support for doing things differently, and an “overwhelming mandate” for Clark.
He “trusts the vision” and would support it but “if this is something other than it looks, I’m thinking this is a one-year budget item.”
Money for effort, $250,000, will come out of the city’s operational reserve in 2022, during which the new council will draft the city’s next two-year budget cycle to begin in 2023.
