Mayor Fraser Tolmie encouraged the new city council members to remember the sacrifices that previous generations made to secure their freedom so they could participate in the democratic process today.
“Those (who) served and sacrificed served a higher purpose and beyond oneself in putting others before themselves in this service,” Tolmie said during his inaugural address on Nov. 16 after he and the six councillors took their oaths of office.
Councillors should remember the values that bind them together, should not forget those who came before them, and should pass on what they have learned to the next generation, the mayor continued.
“Councillors, the institution of democracy was born out of survival and sacrifice. It is an ancient form of government that requires an exchange of ideas. It often seems slow and agonizing because it requires discourse and dialogue,” he said. “It also requires listening.”
Democracy is good governance because it requires sacrifice and inclusion, Tolmie continued. He quoted Greek philosopher Aristotle by saying, “Government is the highest form of community and aims at the highest form of good.” This means community as the highest good requires one thing: people.
“Moose Jaw’s limitless potential is and always will be its people,” the mayor said. “A clear mandate has been issued to this council from the people of this city: Together, we are better. The people of Moose Jaw, working together, have the potential to make this city better.
“It has already been proven that by working together, our community will overcome any problem, any obstacle (and) any crisis that may come our way.”
Tolmie added this will remain true since residents have a vision of a respectful and supportive community, one where they work together to find solutions to the challenges and create opportunities for prosperity. They believe a strong foundation can be forged where families, businesses and organizations can thrive and grow.
“They look to this council to lead the way,” he said.
Council's role as leaders
Good leadership unites people and brings them together to work for the common good, continued Tolmie. This leadership builds bridges, alliances and a better community. It has a shared vision, a plan and a way of achieving sound priorities.
“It requires listening and communicating with all stakeholders respectfully and repeatedly,” he said. “It requires timely, accurate and complete information and time to reflect on that information so that strong decisions can be made — not just for the business of the day, but for the future. It means preparing for future challenges and opportunities by investing to meet both.”
Residents look to the municipality to foster a prosperous environment that supports and attracts people and economic activity, Tolmie continued. Residents also want the city to forge partnerships that support the community and neighbours in the region, province and nation.
Creating this positive force in the region will take bridge-building and consensus-building and finding ways to do things better and together. It will also take determination and persistence.
Tolmie pointed out the latter two attributes were demonstrated recently with the announcements of the renewed Canadian Tire deal and SaskPower’s selection of the contractor to build the natural gas plant here.
“Our duty as elected leaders is to earn the trust and confidence of our community by working together … ,” Tolmie said. “Elected officials, you are here to represent the people. City hall is here to serve the people and we will continue to strive for better service.”
The first council meeting of the new term is Monday, Nov. 23.
