Yesterday, I blogged on the fact that former City Councillor Paul French wrote a letter to the editor in yesterday's Williams Lake Tribune on the fact that local governments terms of office should be 3 years and not 4.
Now - I have a huge amount of respect for the entire French family which includes Diana and Paul French. However, I am forced to disagree with Paul on this point for the following reasons:
1) Provincial/Federal Government Terms of Office
Recent practice dictates that Ottawa (when it last a majority government) and Victoria both have 4 year terms so having 4 year muncipal terms would allow us to work more hand-in-hand with Ottawa and Victoria. And while I'm on this point, because of most financial arrangements with Victoria/Ottawa, local government should consider syncing their financial years with Victoria/Ottawa (April 1 - March 31), instead of the current financial year for local governments (Jan 1 - Dec 31)
2) MLA Length of Office
Right now, the practice of MLA's in this province and most provinces, is to have a 4 year term. It is rare for a MLA to have a 5 year term (in BC - this occured during the Glen Clark/Ujjal Donsanjh BC NDP Government of 1996-2001). If MLA's can commit to 4 years (and get elected), then local politicians shouldn't have a problem, if they know what they're in for
3) Out of Control Local Councils'
If a Council is truly out of control, then I'm prepared to wait until the term of office is done before I'll run as a candidate . As Mr. French points out, the voters' will reward those who do a good job and replace those who are doing a poor job
Conclusion:
Mr. French's concerns are valid however I personally believe 4 year terms for municipal governments and regional district boards' are good things. Moreover, I believe Victoria will implement this, as part of the reforms to the local government elections' process
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