Look beyond what a candidate will do, to how they conduct themselves
“I voted for a lot of Republican nominees. I may disagree with them philosophically, but I thought they had the temperament to be a judge.”
—Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy on his opposition to the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Matt Damon nailed it the other night on Saturday Night Live. He portrayed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s rage and indignation during the U.S. senate hearing about sexual assault allegations against him made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Damon’s performance drove home the point that many people observed from Kavanaugh’s lack of professional conduct during the hearing: Kavanaugh has neither the temperament nor character befitting that country’s highest judicial office.
These qualities shouldn’t be expected from those in the highest office only. After a four-year term on North Cowichan council, I believe good temperament and character are the most important qualities we should look for in our local leadership.
Local government is a funny business. Seven people from different backgrounds are elected by a minority of eligible voters to represent all of the residents on a long list of increasingly complex issues that we try to resolve in such a way that leaves the majority of people satisfied.
Good representation is the first step towards a satisfied majority. If a variety of values, personalities, and expectations are represented at the council table, the different perspectives of our residents are voiced on each issue.
But good representation doesn’t necessitate ease in decision-making. With seven people working through their different opinions to achieve an outcome, good temperament and character are essential.
There aren’t too many mysteries in the work of a local government council: financial oversight, public works, organizational effectiveness, human resources, development policies, public safety, parks and recreation, and in our case forestry. In this last term, our council faced additional challenges that many of us hadn’t anticipated. We dealt with amalgamation, difficult legal issues, replacement of our CAO, and two harassment claims.
These were highly contentious topics. We could have let ourselves become irrational and reactive. There were moments when I was deeply disappointed with my fellow councillors, and there were other moments when I was deeply proud of our council. It’s a roller coaster ride of emotions and it’s easy to let those emotions get the better of you — especially when no one is watching.
Our council (for the most part) kept our irrationality in check. We treated each other with respect in and out of closed sessions, even when we didn’t agree philosophically. And in those moments when tempers flared, they were brief, forgiven or ignored, and we moved forward. If we hadn’t, we would have accomplished so much less.
Four years working in politics with the same group of people is a tall order. Having lived through it, I’ve learned that the issues we each campaigned on became less relevant than the manner in which we worked together to move the municipality forward.
When you vote, look beyond what a candidate says they will do and consider how that candidate will conduct themselves while they do it. This is the key to an effective and productive council.
Maeve Maguire
Outgoing North Cowichan councillor