Eli Mina At Township Council

Eli Mina - The ultimate Canadian parliamentarian and walking Robert's Rules of Order, had to have paid an incognito visit to Township of Langley Council. Read the full article here. Some Eli Mina gems that can be directly linked to Township Council:

Mayor Rick Green

Let’s begin with raised voices. Mina says politicians can be prone to raise their voice and sound “very dramatic and emphatic” as they address a crowd or stand in front of a television camera.

The potential damage? “Your colleagues on council may take note that you crave public attention. They may feel insulted and hence tune you out.

The cure? “Consider the Chinese proverb: Strong and harsh words mean a weak cause.”

Councillor Kim Richter

Bad habit number two—sighing and eye rolling. Mina says politicians are guilty of such behaviour when listening to a citizen or fellow politician rant about the same tired argument; in other words, sounding like a broken record.

The potential damage? “Council will look like a group of childish and petty adults who cannot possibly be trusted with the tasks of overseeing large budgets and making significant policy decisions.”

The cure? “Park your ego, biases and impatience at the door and be fully committed to serving the needs of the municipality.” Also look to find “the gems” within “the fluff” of a person’s blather.

Councillor Mel Kositsky

Bad habit number three—rambling and repetition. Mina doesn’t think it’s appropriate for politicians to take up every minute of their allotted speaking time at a meeting just to express a point already made by someone else.

The potential damage? “Rambling and repetition take up precious meeting time and therefore makes less time available for significant issues scheduled later on the agenda.”

The cure? “Don’t feel duty bound to compete with your time hogging colleagues. Just state your point and stop.”

Thank you Eli!