This month I’ll talk a bit more about what I do day to day as a City Councillor, for insight into what my job looks like and where I spend my time as your elected representative. While every day is different, most days involve a mixture of public and private meetings, media interviews, engaging with residents, and attending community gatherings and events.
Almost every day starts early with a quick look at my inbox to see what’s come in. My office gets hundreds of emails per day, some directly from residents, others just for information from City staff. It’s easy to miss something, so I regularly review my inbox to keep on top of things. This is also the time I review media requests and make time to either respond in writing or attend an interview in person or virtually.
I review my calendar for the day over breakfast to ensure I’m prepared for all of my meetings. As part of my calendar review, I check to see whether I’ve planned to post information on social media to share with residents. If I do have plans to post something, I look at a draft I’ve started, add some pictures, and post to the five social media platforms I’m currently using to communicate with Ward 2 residents. I also briefly scan social media to see what others are saying. I often respond, share, repost, or comment on things others in the community are talking about. I do all my own social media because residents have told me they want to hear from me directly. If it’s on my social media accounts, it’s almost a guarantee I wrote it and posted it myself.
On any given day, I’m in public and private meetings. Public meetings are usually Council, Committees, Boards, or Agencies at which I sit as a decision maker. My job at those meetings is to prepare, listen, and vote on decisions as your Ward 2 representative. I take this work seriously and pledged to be active on these bodies if I was elected. It’s why I’m on boards for all the major Ward 2 institutions where Council has a representative including CityHousing Hamilton, Theatre Aquarius, the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton Farmers’ Market, Hamilton Waterfront Trust, and both downtown BIAs. Private meetings with City staff review, discuss, and collaborate on projects impacting Ward 2 or on citywide initiatives I’ve moved at Council or a Committee. This includes time spent, every day, in meetings with the Ward 2 Team. We meet regularly, throughout each day as issues arise, and for a weekly team meeting to ensure we’re all on the same page about timely and important matters.
I also hold meetings with organizations, businesses, residents, and my colleagues on issues big and small. While most of my work is done in public, it’s often necessary to have discussions in private to work on the details, review information in a draft form, or provide feedback about something under development.
Apart from meetings, you’ll also find me attending community events. Sometimes I’m there to listen and learn, such as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Other times I’m there to bring greetings or speak to an audience on a specific subject, such as the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre’s recent Mental Health and Addictions Symposium. I be at everything but I do my best to be present and active at events where I know Ward 2 residents will be in attendance so I can connect personally.
In April, I also hosted six community meetings including community councils and town halls. Leading up to these meetings, I spend time preparing, putting together a slide deck, and reviewing materials with the Ward 2 Team.
The day ends with me checking my calendar again to the next day. I review meeting reports, refresh myself on details important for my upcoming meetings, or review something sent for my approval.
Some of my time is also dedicated to conferences and conventions, including the annual meetings for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). While it’s not part of my daily routine, it’s to engage with elected officials in other cities to find out what they’re doing so I can bring best practices back to Hamilton to improve how we deliver our services.
I do all this while making sure I have time for breaks, meals, and the opportunity to walk or ride a bike around Ward 2. Walking around the city has always been an important way for me to connect with residents spontaneously, to introduce myself to people, and to see issues up close and personally.
I don’t do all this every day, but I hope it gives you a sense of my responsibilities and how I represent you. I also don’t do any of this work alone. The Ward 2 Team – Phoenix, Joey, and Liesl – do most of the work of communicating with City staff on behalf of residents and represent me when I have a conflict in my schedule.
As I hope is clear from the description of my typical day, I’m not in my office at City Hall very often. It’s why we don’t take walk in visits from residents and why my time is so structured. There’s no way to do this work effectively or efficiently otherwise. We’d be happy to engage with you if you want to reach out for help or to offer feedback. You can reach the Ward 2 Team directly at Ward2@hamilton.ca or through our office phone number at (905) 546-2197 (please leave a message if we’re on another call). The Ward 2 Team is in the office Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:00am to 4:00pm; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00am to 8:00pm; and Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm. If you want to reach me directly, send an email to Cameron.Kroetsch@hamilton.ca.
