Appointment

Selecting Council members is an imperfect science and hopefully these comments will help as you work through the process of filling the vacancy on the council.

Council members are not only advocates, critical thinkers and planners; they are also the initial face of the City. Their ideas will be given a hearing to the degree that they have credibility based on their organizational track record and relationships. Credibility can come from personal power, from organizational power, or from knowledge, but in the end, credibility is about integrity and the extent to which a person is believable.

Because a Council undoubtedly will deal with many contentious issues, the ability to work well with others is the key. Relying on raw positional power is limiting and finite, but good interpersonal skills and positive relationships grease wheels everywhere.

A council member must be prepared to help everyone in the district if they are to be embraced. If a council member is perceived as only helping those people, they’re probably in trouble. Whether a citizen is over 60, bilingual, black, gay, techie, or an overwhelmed parent raising young children while holding down a job, it’s important for him or her to see someone on the Council who can fairly present their point of view.

Sometimes people seek Council positions to fix a specific problem that affects them or a group to which they belong. But Councils need people who not only focus on operational details but also have a strategic approach and can see the big picture. They need to view the organization as a whole to understand how tinkering with something in one place will affect other areas.