THE GRADES ARE IN despite Reporter Jeff Nagel takes his annual subjective and irreverent look back at city council’s performance over the last year. JACK TALSTRA A- TRIUMPH in the face of adversity is one way you oon describe Mayor Jack Talstra’s ride through The Skeena Cellulose crisis, constant forest indus- try trouble, fishing licence fee increases, casinos, and a divisive vole on amalgamation with Thornhill were just some of the difficult issues the year threw at him. ; Some battles were won, some were lost, and some were survived to fight another day. But throughout it all Talstra has remained calm and tried to mainlain confidence in the community. . He also showed regional leadership at important times. Talstra helped forge a rare alliance of northwest mayors that has held together for the most part and gave a unified voice to the region’s pleas for a deal to save Skeena Cellulose. . Despite his Liberal political connections, he’s been . careful, rational and reasonable in any crilicism of the NDP government. Ele’s played ball with the gov- efnment when it’s been important to northwest resi- dents to do so. (Dan Miller credited Talstra as a key ally in efforts to save Skeena Cellulose.) Did Talstra miss opportunities, like a chance to demand more regional control of the forest industry in the wake of Repap’s collapse? Probably. But voters had the chance jast year to switch to a more stir-the-pot style of mayor. They over- whelmingly chose to stay safe and conser- Jack Talstra vative and stick with Talstra. He hasn’t disappointed Maar ea” them. .' : wn, Most of 1997's challenges were ones created by external forces, rather than headaches of council’s own making. Consider what didn’t happen: Terrace didn’t go through a difficult municipal strike after attempting to impose an absurd set of budget cuts (as happened in Kitimat). Nor,s the city now forced to impose sweeping budget cuts (as is happening in Prince Rupert) after Skeena Cellulose failed to pay property taxes. That’s because Terrace made important budget savings a couple of years earlier. Things remained calm here with two big box retail- ers — Canadian Tire and Real Canadian Wholesale Club — setting up shop. If this was Prince Rupert or Kitimat, council chambers would have been a war zone aver those two developments and the stores al the end of the day would have had to locate about 10 miles out of town. Fear didn’t take over. Busijess owners and devel- opers remain confident about the city’s long-term prospects, despite the Skeena Cellulose uncertainty. Even the failed amalgamation referendum went bet- ter than many expected. Terrace voters were solid in their support of the idea and support in Thornhill reached 40 per cenl — a surprising level in the face of what had seemed overwhelming paranoia — giving Talstra hope a deal is attainable. Although Talstra, as the city’s figurehead, gels the credit, much of it should be shared with the impres- sive team working behind the scenes al city hall. Besides a core of experienced veterans, there are now young and talented people with new ideas in key positions, from the economic development offic- er to the city planner to the senior building inspector. Their collective efforts have been a big factor in keeping the city running smoothly. LINDAHAWES B+ LINDA HAWES topped the polls with 1,840 votes and a year into her term, thase voters have no reason to demand a recall. Hawes is a solid, hard-working, well-informed cily councillor. If she ‘asa weakness it’s thal she's visibly plugged into the B.C. Liberal party power structure, having acted as Liberal candidate Rick Wozney’s campaign manager in 1996 and shepherding Gordon Campbell and other Liberal cau- cus visitors on trips here since. Those political alle- giances make it difficult for her to resist firing potshots at the NDP government whenever ‘an opportunity presents titself, Other councillors shave taken her to task “for it, noting that if the ‘city does nothing but ‘eriticize, Victoria will ‘tune out everything ‘that’s said here, includ- “ing pleas. on the most *{mportant issues. ~ That said, Hawes has ‘also been very effective when she brings her big “guns to bear on vital issues. = She played a significant rote in the Skeena “Cellulose crisis and was one of the main combatants in the (successful) fight to gel the government to 9 Linda Hawes The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 23,1997 - AS 4 4 a year of challenges FISCAL PRUDENCE PLANNING Report Card CITY COUNCIL IN 1997 GOOD SATISFACTORY COMMON SENSE DECISIVENESS TEAMWORK ACCESSIBILITY FAIL | OVERALL . back down on imposing huge angling licence fee increases, Hawes tried and failed to persuade mayor Talstra, and by extension council, to join the Kitimat-based Northwest Communities Coalition. (Talstra preferred his evolving mayors’ conferences to sharing power with a group that was barn to lobby for Alcan), But Hawes proved her independence by going on the group’s Irip to Victoria, meeting with the premier and six cabinet ministers. An impressive achieve- ment, to the mayor’s embarrassment. Although Hawes rose from the ranks of the Chamber of Commerce executive, she didn’t let her former colleagues there cloud her judgment: she vot- ed against casinos and voted against the business community's request to allow holiday shopping in the summer. If this is what Hawes is capable of in her rookie year, Terrace is indeed fortunate to have her, so long as she keeps a rein on her partisan tendencies. VAL GEORGE 8B COUNCILLOR Val George is a voice of experi- ence and reason, with a good sense of what issues are potential minefields needing careful treatment. He was front and centre in the campaign to reverse angling licence fee increases in the spring, and led council’s move to kill the idea of a casino here in the fall. ‘ He and Rich McDaniel were the only councillors to con- sistently oppose the introduction of photo radar inside city limits. Although George was decisive on those issues, he often has a tendency to flip flop around like a coho in the bottom of a boat. The mayor has even joked about the diffi- culty of getting a straight answer out of councillor George. His background in consulting and public service management gives him plenty of credentials and experience for the job of a city councillor. But despite those talents, it’s hard to imagine coun- cil or its behaviour being radically different if he wasn't there, His tendency towards extreme caution means he’s likely to vacillate or put off a decision for further debate when it’s already certain what direction coun- cil’s heading, , Councillor George rarely seems to read in detail reports prepared by administration before they’re discussed by council. And he’s very quick to agree to whatever course of action is recommended by city staff. Acity councillor of his experience could be lending a more critical, questioning cye to the city’s operations, ‘ , ; - edge of public works RICH MCDANIEL C- WHEN THE TY cameras focus on Rich McDaniel, an orgy of self-congratulation often results. Even the new councillors don’t reach over their shoulders to back-pat as shamelessly as Rich does. His main vehicle of self-inflation since mid-1996 has been his relentless drive to get a skateboard park built. A laudable goal, but at times out of perspective. When Repap B.C. . sought bankruptcy pro- tection and sent tremors through the northwest, McDaniel’s first con- cern was whether a local engineering firm on the-hook for $80,000 could still donate lime for the skateboard park. McDaniel. rarely says much on controversial issues, ullering barely a sentence, for example, when his tum came to debate the merits of jf ciety, allowing a casino here, But he does have for- Rich McDaniel midable connections within the community and an amazing ability to gel things done. He amassed a tremendous amount of information ona second sheet of ice in his first term and is doing likewise with the skaleboard park. But again, he tends to keep what he’s up ‘to very close to his chest. He’d probably get more support from his fellow councillors if he was less paranoid about his rivals scooping his brownie points. Better research and preparation would also help make him more informed and restore credibility. TIM DOWN F OKAY, PERHAPS ‘Incomplete’ would be a more charitable assessment. Councillor Tim Down would have rated about a C-plus if he had stuck around long enough to receive his first report. But he’s pone, dealing himself out of the action after barely a year on council to take a transfer with B.C. Assessment Authority to Chilliwack, And that amounts to failing the 1,579 citizens of Terrace who voted him in to represent their concerns for a three-year term. a Down’s. record of attendance was the most abyssmal council has seen in recent years without the excuse of major medical Tim Down ‘problems. ' His work frequently took him out of town, making him a non-entity in council chambers. As a result when he was around he sometimes lacked important background from previous meelings. . Anyone thinking of running in the byelection to fill the empty seat should ensure they have more time to devote to the city’s business than Down did. One of Down’s last acts before departing was to go down in history as the first person to sign the petition to recail Skeena MLA Helmut Giesbrechl. ‘That act was his revenge for a dressing down Giesbrecht gave him after criticism by Down al tele- vised city council meetings of the MLA’s performance. He was also one of only two councillors to vote in favour of allowing a casino here in the face of over- whelming opposition in council chambers. Councillor Down was impulsive and at times quick-tempered. . But he came up with new and fresh ideas. His dar- ing to be different is what made him a valuable part of council. oS Hopefully whoever. takes his chair in the coming byelection can also bring more diverse perspectives to council. RON VANDERLEE C. _ MR. INVISIBLE. , Ron Vanderlee has done little to distinguish himself -or even let those who elected him be sure where he stands on some issues. He says little at the council table to explain his stance on key votes and rarely brings forward issues under new business. . A low profile in the early months may have been prudent while learning the ropes, bul hey, let the real Ron Vanderlee now come forward. Vanderlee’s strengths area technical knowl- fiscal. responsibility - both of which flow from his position as a manager at Pacific Northern Gas here. Like Tim Down, Vanderlee has also had a spotty record of attendance, turning downright pathetic in the second half of the year. Again, it’s been the result of a large amount of business travel required by his job. Vanderlee’s election commitments in 1996 centred - Ron Vanderlee around getting the cily’s Official Community Plan | revamped and getting a youth and/or recreation com- plex buill. Those issues are likely to come to the forefront in 1998, and so, perhaps, may Councillor Vanderlee. Loe wee DAVID HULL B+ COMMON SENSE is in short supply these. days, but David Hull must have a secret vat of the stuff in his basement. ‘ Pick any obscure issue that relates to city opera-" tions, ask Hull about it, and you’ll usually get an intelligent answer. ; He is almost always a voice of reason that cuts through complications that-befuddle others to get ta the essence of an issue. His ideas are backed up by being very well- informed about all facets of city operations. Unlike some others, Hull actually reads the many reports and memos generated by city staff. Now in his third term on council, Hull also has the advantage of experience and a good memory of issues the city has faced in the past. Councillor Hull is unlikely to be swayed by large protest delega- tions and is the council- lor most likely to hon- estly call issues as he sees them without watering things down. He was active in the efforts to save Skcena Cellulose and protect local creditors, and was David Hull one of only two councillors to vote in favour of | allowing a casino here. Ties wilh Tim Down for the prize for mast frequent.- glances at the TV monitor to admire how they look on the outgoing cable 10 feed. oo Hull’s only black eye in 1997 was his abortive plan to provide privatized parbage service here. He yanked his proposal — which was the low bid - al the last minute without explanation and union offi- cials punted him for the appearance of conflict. of interest. — Hull is entitled to do business with the city if-he wishes. But councillors historically do so-at their own risk. os This situation didn’t involve fitling an already well- defined need — like light bulbs or asphalt or gravel. His proposal would have meant a major shift in the way the city’s garbage collection service operales, and as such it-was far enough into the grey zone that _ it looked bad. ao Perhaps even David Hull's secret vat runs low from time to time.