Two newsworthy stories are covered in today’s Oak Bay News:
- Oak Bay received recognition from the United Nations as a global leader for its Emergency Preparedness Program, a significant international honour.
- Highlights of Mayor Nils Jensen’s Inaugural speech that stress better communication and public involvement in local government, among other things.
Given recent events in North Saanich, I am gratified to be part of a Council in Oak Bay that respects the community and one another. While it is still early days, my sense of our new Mayor and Council is that everyone is willing to work together on behalf of this community.
I am convinced that one of the first steps to more open government is leadership style and to date, Mayor Nils Jensen has demonstrated a shared leadership style and open approach to decision-making. Related to Committee assignments for example, traditionally a decision ultimately made by the Mayor, each of us had an opportunity for input on what our interests and strengths were and where possible, Mayor Jensen endeavoured to accommodate us.
I believe we are off to a good start and as I said just after the election, I believe that Oak Bay voters made wise choices in their selection of candidates who seem committed to community service.
Next week, the real work begins as I take up my Committee responsibilities and experience my first full Oak Bay Council meeting on December 12. Stay tuned because once I know the agenda (delivered today), I will post highlights for your information.