There is a mission statement for Bowen Island municipality; it adorns the top of all agendas prepared for council meetings, and makes five pledges: to improve the economic, environmental and social well-being for present and future generations; to encourage and foster community involvement; to enhance the small, friendly, caring character of the community; to maintain an open, accountable and effective operation; to preserve and enhance the unique mix of natural ecosystems and green spaces that Bowen Island possesses.
It wasn’t long after I became a member of Council that the seven of us sat down to construct this mission statement. And I was surprised by the level of agreement; not one member of our group wanted to change what I would call the heart of Bowen Island: a small, caring community that preserves its ecosystems and green spaces — a municipality that encourages community participation and strives to sustain present and future generations, not only economically, but socially and environmentally.
This is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from three years of municipal politics; the differences in community vision are not as great as we might believe. Moreover, the politicians who represent the citizens of Bowen Island are not motivated by personal greed. My experience on Bowen Island and within the GVRD has led me to believe that municipal politicians are almost invariably motivated by a genuine desire for community service.
Unfortunately, however, we are all human beings. And we can have very different opinions of whether a given approach to a problem improves or diminishes our quality of life. We might agree on the vision, but we will not always agree on critically important real world specifics. For example, on the issue of marshalling cars for the ferry: should we cut a loop road through the park, with the stated goal of preserving the Snug Cove village? Alternatively, should we commit to our existing ferry capacity and simply encourage more public transportation, in lieu of private vehicles? Or is there a third way?
I won’t propose answers to these questions, although I am tempted by the opportunity. What I will point to, however, are the kinds of attributes that you might look for in your decision-makers. First, you want people who are careful, thoughtful and well-informed, with well-established track records: a sound history of occupational accomplishments in public service, business, or professional life.
Second, and more important, you want decision-makers who are comfortable with ambiguity and disagreement, people who do not see the world in black-and-white terms, people who are not quick to anger, or to dismiss the views of others. Put differently, you want decision-makers who can work as a co-operative team: people who can be passionate, who can agree to disagree, and yet bring a friendly and co-operative spirit to the council table.
I have developed sentiments akin to those of John Irving’s fictional T.S. Garp – I have become intolerant of the intolerant. I am now particularly wary of those who claim that they occupy a moral high ground, irrespective of whether they represent the “right” or the “left”. I am suspicious of those who complain that Bowen Island Municipality isn’t moving quickly enough to deliver a wide range of services, and who repeatedly urge that we must simply move ahead (albeit typically with reduced tax dollars). And I am also suspicious of those who want no change: turn down all development, limit services, and pretend that some kind of social stasis is either possible or desirable.
I will go one step further in my advocacy of this course of liberal moderation. While I will vote for a green majority, I have come to the view that we should avoid a council that reflects a singular point of view – a municipal government that is exclusively “pro-business” or exclusively “green”. We are best served by a diversity of political interests, not by the victory of one “side” and the consequent exclusion of the other.
What did we actually do during the past three years? Perhaps not as much as we might have hoped for, or could have accomplished, but I will list two of the steps forward. We acquired the lands surplus to Crippen Park (for an excellent price) and we have put in place a process that will lead to the building of civic facilities within the foreseeable future. And we passed the Snug Cove plan, after 20 years of debate, entrenching affordable housing and moving density into the village core.
What can I say in closing? This was a tough three year sentence. I learned a lot, and I’m glad that I committed myself to the task. All six of my colleagues deserve credit for taking on a task that is very time-consuming, poorly paid, and replete with emotional abuse. The experience also allowed me to appreciate how privileged I am to have worked for 25 years as a university professor. With apologies to the late Douglas Adams, so long, and thanks for all the fish.
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