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Heading the good ship Yellowknife
Van Tighem explains some ins and outs of the role of mayor

Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Published Saturday, February 11, 2012

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Although he does not want to be seen as "out-going" with nine months of work still ahead, this week Mayor Gord Van Tighem offered the Yellowknifer an account of what his job entails.

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Gord Van Tighem: The position of mayor is like the Chief Executive Officer of an operation, but unique in that it works closely with the general public. - NNSL file photo

On Jan. 31, Van Tighem told the Chamber of Commerce he would not be seeking a fifth term after 12 years in the city's top position. With a municipal election coming up in mid-October, Van Tighem is willing to share a few insights into the limitations and powers of the mayoralty.

"The city is a big ship and headed in a certain direction," he said. "It needs a lot of influence and nudging to move them off that direction. The direction that the next mayor will be inheriting has been developed over the last many years."

Van Tighem pointed out that council approved a budget and General Plan, which lays out the direction he refers to, and said it is the responsibility of the new mayor to be familiar with each document.

Much of the mayor's role is laid out in the City Towns and Villages Act.

He said the role has given him the opportunity to set agendas for meetings, which he chairs, and to ensure decisions made by councillors are carried out. He is currently involved with about 28 city committees, which gives him a full schedule.

He likens the job to being a Chief Executive Officer, where a board of directors is represented by councillors who provide overall direction. It is the councillors, then, who employ the senior administrative officer to make sure activities occur in the city. At the same time, the mayor's role also involves translating what the instructions are to administration.

"The main thing is to ensure that councillors are provided with adequate information to make decisions," Van Tighem said. "Once the decision is made, it is part of my job to make sure that it happens."

In the role, however, the mayor both leads and takes direction from council, he said.

"You have a lead role but once council makes a decision, you are following the direction of council. So it is very important to work together with council."

In some decisions, there is the possibility that votes can result in a tie. In that case it is the mayor's job to break the impasse. Thus it is important for the person in the position to be well-informed on subjects and to have a great memory.

After 12 years in the position, Van Tighem said it is actually much easier to stay briefed and thereby have a position to take to offer council. He said he was lucky to initially come into the position having solid contacts in the community and being very active, so that he could be accessible to the population when doing the job.

What makes the leadership role different from other areas of government is this contact with people, he said.

"It is a very open level of government because we are working directly with the people, so it is not hard to get the information and not hard to form a serious position or perception on issues," he said. "And the more information you have, the better the consideration that will be."

Perhaps a more challenging aspect of the job is being able to deal with a wide variety of people in the community. Being at the Citizens for Northlands meeting this week may be a good example of how he has attempted to work closely with the community by educating people on the goings-on of the city, but at the same time needing to perceive and absorb some of the different interests and reactions of different people.

"One of the key things that is required in the position is patience," he said. "You're dealing with a whole spectrum. A lot of things that you are doing is providing information and educating people. Everyone has the ability to make an opinion and it is better they make it an informed one. So you have to make sure the information is available to people and that they don't make erroneous assumptions and take a lot of energy that could be creative and turn it the other way. "

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