ward3brighton.ca

Charlottetown’s new city council recently spent a busy weekend together planning for the challenges of the four-year term ahead of us. Our discussions were very ably facilitated by Frank Gallant of Peak Experiences from Antigonish. Frank is a professional in the field of organizational development. His approach is described as “eclectic” on his website, but Frank’s biggest strength, in my opinion, is his ability to quickly understand the people he’s working with. 

We accomplished a lot, and not one person left on Sunday without acknowledging the value of our time spent together. The last council had a reputation for divisive, childish, and counterproductive behaviour; something we all heard about when campaigning. Whether the perception was completely accurate was disputed. The long list of impressive accomplishments of the last council speaks for itself.

In any case, this council has a new sense of purpose, a common vision for the city, clear expections of each other, and the makings of a strategic plan that we will continue to hammer out and implement over the months ahead. It was difficult giving up an entire weekend in my already very busy life. And believe me, we worked hard. I would have preferred to spend time with my wife and kids, but I think it was time well spent and very much worth the effort.