CHRONICLE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE INNOVATION: “When elected leaders have a trust-based relationship with their senior staff, and everyone works together to make the community a better place, that is when you really get things moving in the right direction,” stated former North Vancouver City mayor Darrell Mussatto when he reflected on how the past informs the future (2nd installment of a preview series)

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on October 1, 2024 features reflections by former North Vancouver City Mayor Darrell Mussatto. This is the third instalment in a series of reflections that preview the SYNOPSIS for the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver (1994-2024). The release date for the Synopsis is November 2024.

 

 

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: When an elected leader is THE CHAMPION, the community benefits – extracts from a conversation with Darrell Mussatto 

When I interviewed Darrell Mussatto, five threads emerged from our conversation. And then it struck me that those threads define a set of five principles to guide the actions of elected leaders. And that is exactly how they are presented in this story behind the story.

The vignettes and insights shared by Darrell Mussatto underscore the wisdom in learning to look back to see ahead. As Darrell illustrates, it is the only way to avoid unintended consequences when we don’t know what we don’t know. Darrell makes the case for restoring trust and respect in local government and making informed decisions.

PRINCIPLE #1: When there is trust and respect between politicians and staff, good outcomes for the community are more likely to result

“My goal when I was elected mayor in 2005 was all about climate change. After the first month, I organized a meeting with the top 40 staff to share my vision.  Part way through my presentation, some staff put their hands up and said…Darrell, we are there with you, we are there.”

“It was an aha moment. I did not have to convince them. Wow, we are in this together, I realized. How can we work together to make this a more sustainable community, they asked. This is not just about climate change, they said. The real issue is how we treat our environment, they explained.”

 

 

“When staff do not feel intimidated, they can be bolder. When elected leaders have a trust-based relationship with their senior staff, and everyone works together to make the community a better place, that is when you really get things moving in the right direction.”

PRINCIPLE #2: Become educated about how local government works, and make informed policy decisions that improve quality of life

“It would be a bonus if people came into elected office with background on what matters to the operation of a local government. But most will not have a clue. Especially when it comes to infrastructure. That is why they need to educate themselves about how to develop informed policies.”

“But what I am see as being prevalent right now is populism: Find out where the people are going so that I can lead them there. Or, what is it they want and I will deliver it to them. Or, I am the boss and have the majority on council so I am going to do things the way I want. That is not leadership. Be informed. Become educated. Politics is about giving back.”

 

 

“We need people who get involved in politics for the right reasons. And are willing to put time into learning about infrastructure and all the other things that make local government work for the greater good.”

“To aspiring elected leaders, I say tell me what your passions are. Tell me what you see needing improvement. Tell me what you would do to make the built environment more sustainable. Tell me where you see the city and region going and what the priorities should be to make this a better place.”

PRINCIPLE #3: Support community-minded people who step up for the right reasons because they believe in a livable region

“A reality is that no one is at high speed all the time. There will always be peaks and valleys. Some municipalities go through valleys after they have been at peaks. But then with good people in leadership roles they do come back.”

“It can take a decade or longer to build a culture of trust and respect. And then it can be undone within a year. We see examples of that around the region. More than ever, we need good people putting their names forward.”

 

 

“And we need community leaders who say what is best for the community. You cannot always tell people what they want to hear. Sometimes you have to tell them the tougher news. I do hope those leaders emerge because we need them more than ever.”

“I believe those people who want to give back are out there. Every once and a while you get those true leaders who want to do it for the right reasons. And when they do step up, we must support them.”

PRINCIPLE #4: Move past reactive problem-solving, and be visionary in getting us to where we really need to go as a region

“I look back at Johnny Carline’s time as chief administrative officer with Metro Vancouver in the 2000s when his leadership resulted in a suite of management plans. We came together on the regional board because we believed our decisions were in the interests of a livable region. That was good, really good.”

 

 

PRINCIPLE #5: Ask the tough questions to make the tough decisions, all the while shining the light on what is affordable and effective

“Elected leaders need to provide the proper leadership so that we do look at the big picture and we are not forgetting the things that we might think are small now BUT are really important.”

“There is always going to be a battle for funding. And taxpayers cannot afford financial disasters like the Lions Gate wastewater treatment plant. The unintended consequences illustrate why elected leaders must ask tough questions so that they can make better decisions.”

 

 

Reflect on what it means to take responsibility to get to the right decision for the community

“Lions Gate demonstrates the consequences of planning a project poorly and then doing it fast. And I have to take some responsibility for what happened. I was the chair. I could have and should have made better decisions. I should have asked tougher questions…in a respectful way, of course.”

“A good leader educates themself to become a good board member. That is what I have since learned from the director’s training that I have taken as the Metro representative on the Vancouver Fraser Ports Authority.”

“With Lions Gate, the federal government wanted us to fast-track a design-build. With what I know now, we should have spent more time on planning to do it right and then build fast,” concludes Darrell Mussatto,

 

To Learn More:

To read the complete story, download a copy  of  Living Water Smart in British Columbia: When an elected leader is THE CHAMPION, the community benefits.

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Darrell-Mussatto_reflections-by-an-elected-leaders_2024.pdf