Campaign Reform

All campaigns cost money, but Mayor Fedeli developed a set of very strict guidelines for both his 2003 and 2006 elections:

• No donations accepted over $100 including from himself and his family;
• Only personal cheques; no corporate or union donation were accepted;
• No cash donations were accepted;
• A complete Donors' List was published a few days before both the 2003 and 2006 elections, as promised.

As for signs, Mayor Fedeli was as tired as you of election signs on public lands. He produced only lawn signs, and they were placed only on private property, where people made a personal choice to display a sign. No signs were placed on public property such as the overpass or parks, and absolutely no intersection or highway signs were constructed.

New Way To Govern

Once elected, Mayor Fedeli changed the rules inside the Council Chambers.

In the past, when a recorded vote was called, the Mayor started at the left-hand side and went around the table until all 10 Councillors recorded their vote. This gave an advantage to the Councillors at the end, as they could see which way the vote was going and alter their choice one way or another. Mayor Fedeli introduced randomizer software, where all 10 names were printed in random order, and no Councillor knew when their name was going to be called by the Clerk. This meant every Councillor needed to make their decision and be ready for their name to be called, and levelled the playing field.

Another move was to bring order to the lengthy Council meetings. Roberts Rules of Order were introduced. Now the mover of a motion spoke first, followed by the seconder, and then any Councillor could speak to the motion one time (only), and the mover received the last word. So rather than a back-and-forth bickering, each Councillor needed to have a coherent argument ready, with all their points made, as they wouldn't receive a second opportunity. Not only did this speed up the meetings, but made for a more intelligent session.

Speeches

The Mayor gave an annual 'State of the Union'-style address at the beginning of each year. This helped the community understand what has been accomplished and which direction the Council will move towards for the upcoming year.