Working with wireless towers and networks has taught one first-term councillor a lesson she plans to apply to her work as an elected official.
Tina Comi said communication is key, and it came up the most often while she campaigned for election, and since she’s been elected as a councillor.
“We used to say, ‘always be careful if somebody is doing too much transmitting and not enough receiving,’” said Comi. “It’s about listening to the community. Not just a one-way form of communication. We have to mean both ways, that we’re really hearing people’s concerns and doing our best to address them.”
This was Comi’s first time running for councillor. She finished with 4,468 votes, the second highest of the seven councillors elected.
The foundation of her campaign, she said, came from the weeks leading up to her submitting the nomination papers.
Candidates are required to get 25 signatures for a nomination to run for council. Comi turned in 114 signatures, and said she made a point of getting those signatures from people she didn’t already know well.
“That was a piece of advice I received from a friend, and I really sincerely mean it was the best piece of advice I received,” said Comi. “Because what it was is it gave me an idea of what it would really take to run a campaign and it gave me an opportunity to talk with people in advance of that … It was an incredible way to get an understanding of the broader issues in the community. It was fantastic. I’ll always treasure those papers, they meant so much.”
She said the most intimidating ask of her campaign was endorsement signatures and the rest got easier after that.
The first full council meeting took place on Dec. 17. Prior to that, there were training sessions on municipal and county procedures and policies.
The new councillor predicted her steepest learning curve would be “literally how to get something done.”
She said her previous work in wireless deployment was “manic and frenzied,” and things had to happen quickly.
“So the newest thing for me will be to learn there is a process and to understand there’s probably 20 more steps than I’m initially accustomed to,” said Comi. “I’m going to have to learn to take the journey of the process.”
But old habits die hard, and Comi predicted she would remain action-oriented and act as a “ gentle gadfly that hovers around to keep things moving.”
During her campaign, the mother of two put a lot of focus on trying to engage families in the election cycle. She included things like restroom facilities at Fisher Fields and crosswalks at locations like at Hamilton Drain Trail.
Comi said she wants to continue to push for family engagement, and suggested staff start including “family-friendly language” on notices of public meetings or town events.
“That doesn’t mean bounce houses and cotton candy,” said Comi. “It just means it’s okay for you to come with your child to this particular event.”
She’d also like to work on further engagement strategies, including bringing back Coffee with a Councillor, which used to take place at the library and included an informal session where the public could speak with councillors one-on-one.
“I think it’s helpful to have a council engaging with the community through both committees and meetings with community groups,” said Comi. “I mean those are our people on the front lines of the issues that they’re addressing.”
She said there might be a need for councillors to continue to reach out to constituents door-to-door, to host town hall information sessions, and reach out to public gatherings.
“The most organic way to engage is to simply be out in the community and making yourself available,” said Comi, adding engagement is still a two-way street with some onus on citizens to get engaged.
“One of the easiest thing a resident can do is - if they’re already using social media - to make sure they’re following the town and Experience Collingwood to sort of see what’s going on,” said Comi. “To use their local papers and to go ahead and reach out to their councillors if they have a question.”
Comi said she’d also like to see two more advisory committees, one focussed on environmental sustainability and one focussed on youth issues.
“I’d like to see some fresh faces of engagement,” said Comi, adding she would count it a success to hear phrases like “That was our biggest turnout ever,” and to hear people say they were attending their first ever public meeting, council session, or committee meeting.
Finally, Comi would like to use her previous experience in wireless communication to help with the Collingwood Terminal project.
“I would very much like to assist with the terminals in any way I can, particularly when it comes to the wireless carriers at the top. I know I say that a lot. It’s a very unique skill set that I would be delighted to impart,” said Comi. “I would like an opportunity If possible to review the leases to ensure the town is receiving fair market value.”
Comi used an image of the terminals in her election campaign materials, and said she’s committed to working toward a cost-effective solution to preserving them.
“If we don’t have councillors at minimum keeping the discussion going, then another four years go by demolition by neglect continues until we’re faced with the proposition of saying, it simply has to come down. We’re left with no choice, it’s a major hazard,” she said.
Council did discuss the terminals in a Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting on Dec. 12 and again at the council meeting Dec. 17. They have requested a staff report in early 2019 to outline a process and timetable of information on the Terminals and a strategy for public consultation.
Council returns to the table Jan. 7 for a Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting.
