I have had some cause to consider sharing what a mayor does of late. Here are the big things that are on a mayor`s plate:

1. Serve as referee of Council, including preparing well for a meeting, running/facilitating a meeting, and making sure what happens after a meeting meets with Council's wishes. (And participate on a range of Council's committees and boards, at the will of Council.)
2. Seek counsel and advice from our community, encouraging openness, transparency, and best ideas for better governance. (I am a pretty relentless booster of participative democracy! Yet this also requires tough decisions to be made regarding my one vote [of 10] on the various issues, reconciling competing interests and knowing that some will be disappointed or angry.)
3. Offer occasional interpretation about Council's wishes to the CAO. Generally validated later by Council.
4. Stay, to the extent possible, abreast of the goings-on, the events, the issues in the community.
5. Work closely with the one staff member who has to work with me - the CAO - to address some of the issues in the community.
6. Steer clear, as much as possible, of the operational elements of the municipality. No, I don't have authority over staff, can't tell them what to do, can't make hiring/firing decisions, etc. That responsibility resides with the CAO.
7. Participate in various events of the community where the mayor's presence is welcomed/thought worthwhile. This includes preparing and giving speeches, cutting ribbons, and a lot of great conversation and, pre-COVID, handshaking.
8. Mourn when members of our community are harmed or pass on.
9. Celebrate great community outcomes/activities (like the Listowel Sign War, successes of Mr. Conners in golf, etc.)
10. Look out for those who need our love and care, encouraging positive and appropriate efforts on behalf of those who need a little help.
11. Speak with the media on matters that pertain to the actions of Council or about goings-on in the community that have drawn attention (e.g., Mr. Conners... did I tell you I'm not too aware about the nuances of golf and got called on it by a sports reporter?)
12. Generate and interact with new ideas that could be of benefit to our community and drive our sense of success and prosperity.
13. Advocate to other levels of government, business/industry, and organizations for actions that will make my community a better place to be.
14. Deal with complaints that come from constituents. (This one can be tricky, since often staff know a lot more about the ability to move to action/resolution than I do.)
15. Hear complaints about staff. My room to act is very limited here, but people vent about things like this at me just the same.
16. Protect myself, Council, and the corporation from allegations of lying, fraud, malfeasance, and more. (Now don't go off and suggest that my wording "protect" is incomplete - there isn't a lot of investigative authority vested in me, but from time to time, I have to ask questions to make sure we are on good foundation.)
17. Lead the community in its response to COVID-19 under a lightly-used Emergency authority.
18. Review and authorize expenses and payments.
19. Attach my signature to contracts and legal documents that are endorsed by Council (acting as Council's representative).
20. Relentlessly promote our business community, our volunteer contributions, our service clubs, the arts, our sports leagues, our teams, encouraging others to join us in building greatness.
21. Initiate goodness. I like this one the best. It involves helping others, encouraging kindness, and being pro-active, and at times, reactive, to opportunities that will make the community I love a better place to live.

I am sure I am forgetting some elements, but despite what seems a long list, we do not have a "strong mayor" system (I'm thinking the TV series Boss) like you see on US television. There are many constraints. They are wise constraints. It is good to be able to say "I don't know" - because that is the truth of so many of the circumstances with which a mayor interacts.

Some days my adrenal glands just don't help me too much in managing the stress. It gets busy. I can face withering criticism, and like most, I can feel pretty awful about it. My hair greying has accelerated a bit. Yet there is still a spring in my step when I put on the mayor's hat, knowing that I might face criticism, but that I am being true to myself and trying to be true to my community.

We have much in action. We have come through much. I encourage grace, kindness, and even patience. There will always be much to do. We won’t always get it right, but failing fast is a reasonable strategy that I have to say I encourage.

I invite your continuing engagement with the work as we build the best North Perth.

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