Deep Dive: Making – and Owning – My Decisions
Point Form Summary
- I will begin by listening – especially to the people most affected by the decision
- I will ask questions, seek reliable information and make sure I understand the problem before choosing a solution.
- I will use Vernon’s plans and previous public input as a starting point.
- I will consider costs, benefits, risks and who will be affected – not only today but over the long term
- I will remain open to changing my mind when new evidence or a better argument emerges.
- I will make the decision I believe best serves Vernon as a whole, even when it is difficult
- I will explain how I reached my decision and take responsibility for it.
Getting into the Details
Good decisions do not just happen. They come from taking the time to listen, learn, ask questions and think carefully about the consequences.
Council regularly faces issues without simple answers. A decision may benefit one group while creating costs for another. Something urgently needed today may carry long-term obligations. Residents may agree on the goal but disagree strongly about how to reach it.
I will not always arrive at the decision everyone wants. But I can promise to take the work seriously and follow a clear process.
Listen First
My first step will be to listen.
That means hearing from people who support a proposal and those who have concerns about it. It also means making an effort to hear from people who may not attend Council meetings or feel comfortable speaking in public.
The loudest or most organized voices are not necessarily the only ones that matter. I will pay particular attention to the people most directly affected by a decision and to those whose experiences are too easily overlooked.
Listening does not mean agreeing with everyone. It means making a genuine effort to understand what people are saying and why they are saying it.
Understand the Issue
Before choosing a solution, I want to be sure I understand the problem. I will do my homework.
I will ask questions, review staff reports and seek reliable evidence. I will want to know what assumptions are being made, what information may be missing and whether there are other options we should consider.
Council also depends heavily on the knowledge of City staff. Their professional advice matters, but councillors still have a responsibility to test that advice, ask for clarification and exercise their own judgment.
I will not pretend to know everything. Asking for help or taking time to learn is not a weakness. It is part of doing the job properly.
Begin with the work already done
Vernon has an Official Community Plan, a Climate Action Plan, a Transportation Plan and other long-term plans shaped by research, professional advice and public participation. What’s more, the plans are written to reinforce the broad objectives and goals found in each.
Those plans should guide Council’s decisions. They give residents, businesses and developers a clearer idea of where the City is headed and help prevent one decision from working against another. Following them also supports the idea of predictability in process.
However, plans are not sacred. Occasionally new information and changing circumstances may justify updating them. Still, Council should not set them aside casually. If we depart from an adopted plan, we should be able to explain what has changed and why a different direction now serves the community better.
Consider the full consequences
Every decision involves more than its immediate effects.
I will ask:
- Who benefits?
- Who carries the cost or risk?
- What will this mean for taxpayers?
- How will it affect people with limited incomes or fewer choices?
- Does it solve the underlying problem?
- What obligations will it create in the future?
- How does it fit with Vernon’s broader goals?
Financial cost always matters. Residents rightfully expect Council to use public money carefully,. But the least expensive option today is not always the most responsible one over time.
I will look for decisions that meet present needs without leaving avoidable problems or bills for the people who come after us.
Be willing to change my mind
Like all people, I have values, priorities and opinions. And voters deserve to know what they are before they consider electing me.
However, I will not enter discussions with my decision already made. New facts may emerge. Someone with direct experience may reveal something I had not considered. Another councillor or member of the public may make an argument that better accounts for the range of issues that are connected to a particular decision..
Changing my mind because I have learned something is not being inconsistent. It is evidence that listening to public discussion and learning from new information still matter.
Make the choice even when it’s hard
Eventually, listening and learning must lead to a decision. I will weigh the evidence, consider the interests involved and think carefully about the consequences, not only for those most directly affected, but for Vernon as a whole.
I believe the vast majority of elected officials are motivated by an honest desire to serve their communities. Yet reasonable, well-intentioned people can examine the same issue and reach different conclusions. This has and will continue to happen on Vernon City Council.
Disagreement is an unavoidable part of democratic government. Some decisions will therefore require both integrity and courage: the integrity to follow the evidence, weigh competing interests fairly and acknowledge the trade-offs; and the courage to cast the vote I believe will best serve Vernon, even when that vote may be unpopular with friends, colleagues or people whose views I value.
Take responsibility for my decisions
Once I have voted on a motion, the work is not done. I will explain my reasoning as clearly as I can. Residents should not have to guess what influenced my vote or be offered only a vague assurance that it was “in the community’s best interest.”
Accountability does not require everyone to agree with me. It requires me to show my work, stand behind my decision and remain open to the possibility that new information may give me reason to reconsider.
This is the approach I will bring to Council: listen widely, learn by asking good questions and examining the evidence, decide with courage and integrity, and be accountable for the choices I make.