Inaugural meetings set for Nov. 7, with three new mayors and 16 new councillors

While View Royal got a head start, every other Westshore council will have their inaugural meetings on Monday, Nov. 7. This is when the rubber (gradually) hits the road and we start to find out what kind of councils we’ve just elected.

I want to hear from you about what you’re looking for from your local governments! A lot of promises and commitments were made during the election and voters overwhelmingly chose change for the Westshore. Let me know what change you’re counting on—email me at [email protected].

In Highlands and Sooke, there was minimal change—just one new councillor in Sooke, Kevin Pearson, who was a councillor in a previous term, and no change in Highlands where many of the six councillors and mayor Ken Williams are going on to their third terms.

But in Langford, Colwood, and Metchosin the majority of the people at the tables are new politicians.

In Langford, mayor-elect Scott Goodmanson’s first order of business was to change the regular meeting time from 5:30pm to 7pm, saying the later hour will allow more people to participate. And, expecting a lot more participation, he’s moved the location of the inaugural meeting to the Belmont Secondary School theatre, which has over five times the capacity of Langford City Hall’s council chambers.

“I think just that in itself is a good statement, because that's commenting on the number of people who we've been told want to come,” Goodmanson said. “And you know what, if we can get those numbers coming out to regular meetings, then we'll host regular meetings someplace that's not City Hall, where we can fit everyone.”

Metchosin’s first meeting will address a code of conduct for council, something mayor-elect Marie-Térèse Little has advocated for, following an increase in “vitriol” around the table. She and outgoing mayor John Ranns did not always get along, and tension between them rose to a point where she called the RCMP on him during a particularly combative meeting in the summer.

Colwood’s mayor-elect, Doug Kobayashi, is planning to repeal the newly adopted pay increase for council, and renew a committee structure. The committees are part of his commitment to deepen regular consultation with the community.

If you’re interested to follow along, you can watch each of the council meetings live or attend in person. And of course, keep an eye out for this newsletter because I will be watching councils closely.