By Tim Duhamel, President, Bloom Centre for Municipal Education

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Tim Duhamel interviewed Dave McRae, the Mayor of the Town of Redwater. Council Corner will be a quarterly interview with elected officials from municipalities Canada Wide. Please enjoy this interview with the Mayor of the Town of Redwater, Alberta!

From Administrator to Councillor to Mayor: What Makes a Good Council?

David McRae has been the Mayor of Redwater, Alberta since 2021. He is sharing his experience as a Mayor, elected official and former municipal administrator to Bloom CME.

Why did you first run for Council?

After retiring from a 31-year career with the RCMP, McRae worked with the Town of Redwater as a contractor, and later as an employee of the municipality. He also had the opportunity to serve as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) twice on a short interim basis.

“That gave me a pretty good idea of how Councils worked, but it also gave me a huge knowledge base of the operational side of the municipality,” says McRae.

When he was deciding to retire, McRae saw running for Council as an opportunity to remain involved in the municipality and put the knowledge and understanding he’d acquired to use.

Was being a Councillor different than what you thought it would be?

McRae’s biggest surprise was just how much reading was involved.

“You’re expected to know your agenda material, and Administration would provide you with all kinds of information,” he says. “I’d spend time researching that information and trying to find out as much as you could about the topic, because I was just a guy (person)on Council, I wasn’t an expert in a lot of things we had to talk about.”

Are there ways to improve the information flow from Administrators to Council?

McRae believes that there’s a misconception from Council that they’re supposed to be in meetings frequently. He highlights the importance of drawing clear boundaries between Administration and elected officials’ responsibilities.

“Councils will say, can we get information on this, or can we get information on that? And sometimes, the Administration won’t push back and say, that’s a strictly operational process, so we don’t need direction from council on it.”

McRae encourages Councils to think strategically and listen to and trust those with higher level experience in f ields that they may not be as well-versed in.

“The least you can do with the most amount of impact is usually the best you can do,” says McRae.

What, in your opinion, makes a Council successful?

In their day-to-day operations, Councils should be prepared to work towards the best outcome for the entire community.

“Sometimes that means voting no,” McRae says. “Each Councillor and Mayor must understand that everyone else at the table brings their feelings and opinions, and they’re not wrong, they may be different, but that doesn’t make them wrong. If their presentation is honorable and reasonable, then their opinion is just as important as mine.”

Council’s response after the vote is also important to its continuing success.

“Once the vote is cast, you must understand that the municipality was the benefactor of the debate and discussion,” says McRae. “Belittling the outcome doesn’t promote the Council as a whole. Council working together to make the best municipal decision overall is the important part, and supporting the outcome, win or lose, helps promote further success.”

What are the main differences between being a Mayor and a Councillor?

a Mayor and a Councillor? In McRae’s experience, the biggest difference is people’s expectations. Many people have the misconception that the Mayor has a larger role and responsibility than that of the Council.

“The Mayor has different responsibilities within the administrative process and is usually the public face of Council, but they have no more power than any other Council member and are bound by the same governance rules,” he says.

McRae’s experience as both Mayor and Council member has taught him that the Mayor is just one voice of many.

“Someone that I respect once said, ‘Listen first, speak last,’ and I try very hard to follow that in Council meetings.”

Can you describe some of your achievements as Mayor?

Choosing a proudest achievement is difficult for McRae.

“For me, proudest is a difficult concept, because I honestly believe that without a superior Administrative support mechanism, Councils do not succeed,“ he says.

One of his memorable achievements was the Council’s selection of the CAO. As a newly elected Council we came together to make perhaps the most important decision of our term, selecting our new CAO. I am very proud of the process and the outcome that we achieved together.

“My personal proudest moment is being the leader of a group who could disagree or agree upon an issue and resolve it,” says McRae. “I’ve worked in groups and organizations where it didn’t matter what your opinion was. If the Chair’s opinion was supported, that seemed to be the only achievement necessary, and when the Chair’s opinion wasn’t supported, there was discord.”

What advice would you give to a new Mayor?

McRae encourages new mayors to always put championing their municipality first.

“Try very hard to understand everyone’s position, including dissenters,” says McRae. “But at the end of the day, honestly cast your vote to support and advance your municipality. You’ll always have issues, but listening to what they are and really understanding what you’re being told is paramount to achieving a healthy community and a great Council. At the end of the day, a healthy debate may not result in a 7-0 vote, but no matter what the outcome, your Council has done the best for their community.”

Championing the people behind the municipal process is also important.

“Don’t be afraid to tell the community how great your administration is,” says McRae.

McRae’s final word of advice?

“To quote a respected mayor that I know: ‘Don’t worry about Facebook.’”

Do you have any recommendations for Councils to overcome a more combative relationship with each other or their Administrations?

McRae emphasizes the need for trust and communication. In his experience as a police officer, McRae would often answer calls for disputes between neighbours.

“My response was always to sit them down at the same table with a cup of coffee and talk about anything other than being neighbours – trying to find some common element, something that would create a foundation, and then try to build on that foundation as best as we can.”

Though it didn’t always work, McRae says the important thing is that if you find some commonality, that creates an opportunity to create a bond.

Whether it be a team building day, a trip to an event, or a mayor’s breakfast, McRae encourages Councils to actively build relationships and trust.

“Specifically invite those people who are having that difficulty and then seat them together. Sit them at the same table so that they have some opportunity to at least converse and get to know each other,” suggests McRae. “Make a start.”

Bloom CME thanks Mayor David McRae for his insight!