IQALUIT
Kenny Bell didn't run for council in this election because he couldn't stand the idea of sitting with the current members of council again.

"It would have drove me crazy," he said in an outgoing interview with Nunavut News/North.

"I don't know if I would have been here in a year if I did that to myself. It was one of the worst experiences of my life."

Bell became known as a controversial character in Iqaluit politics. He often complained that the city did not follow its own bylaws, council members didn't read material before voting and the city was set up to fail.

"Yeah, I'm controversial, I rock the boat, but I try to do it face-to-face first," he said, adding that things were often not taken seriously until he went public with them and that he was stifled from being an effective councillor.

He originally ran on a back-to-basics platform, focusing on water, roads and basic infrastructure.

"When I was elected, you're obviously very excited. I go there after being sworn in, and my first council meeting I get there and there's a calculator, a pen and a highlighter on my desk, and that's it," he said. "No bylaws, no policies, no procedures, nothing. Now I understand why the city is so messed up."

On other boards he's been a part of, said Bell, a secretary usually provided members a full package of all of the relevant bylaws, procedures and information so they could educate themselves and use it for reference.

He recalls an unnamed councillor once asking him how he got an item on the council agenda, which worried Bell.

"It's just completely unorganized," said Bell. "That's one of the main reasons why city council will continue to fail."

Councillors should be prepared to take on the role, he said, despite the low pay and part-time nature of the job. As it currently stands, he feels councillors tend to learn on the job at the same time they're making votes on sensitive items.

"It's backwards to me," said Bell.

He predicted the city will be in crisis management for at least 10 more years, with more problems "than anyone can even imagine." He hopes his push for accountability continues with the new council.

"We're starting to see the staff actually follow our current bylaws, like our purchasing bylaw, which they hardly ever really followed before, which is kind of crazy to me," he said.

Multiple times, Bell said he was told by fellow councillors that he shouldn't ask questions of city staff.

"I'm like no, no, that's exactly what we're there for, to give an informed vote."

Although council often puts an emphasis on working together, Bell said, "We need people to challenge each other so we do better."

His decision to bail out of municipal politics after one term was a hard one.

"This is a hard one to say but it truly is the reason," he said about why he chose not to run again even though he wants to see the city improve.

"The problem is I can't run for mayor because I wouldn't give up my government job. My pension is far too important to my family as a whole moving forward for the rest of my life ... I went with the safe bet."

He couldn't sit on council again either because of the experience he had. He said he loved the public interaction, even the negative parts, but being on such an unprepared council was "really hard for me mentally."

Despite his criticisms, Bell said Iqaluit has every chance to shine as a city and said there are some great staff backing it up.

He hopes to see the new council make legitimate pushes for accountability.

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