Taking Transparency to the Next Level

I’ve always said that transparency in municipal government is more than just being available. It’s more than opening the council chambers to the public. True transparency means creating real opportunities for residents to see, understand, and participate in the decisions that affect them.

That’s why, over my time on council, I have pushed for practical steps to make our work more open. Live-streaming and saving videos of our meetings so residents can watch when it works for them. Passing bylaws over two meetings instead of rushing them through in one, giving the public a chance to review and provide input. Holding budget meetings in public, on camera, so residents can see their council wrestle with the hard choices instead of defaulting to the easy option of raising taxes.

I’ve seen first-hand that when council works in public, it works harder. There is a greater effort to get it right. Behind closed doors, it’s too easy to take the path of least resistance.

Transparency also means accountability. It means there should be a public record of what was done, why it was done, and who supported it. That’s why I believe it’s time for St. Paul to take the next step: recording the individual vote of every councillor on every motion.

The Municipal Government Act already provides a process for this—any councillor can request a recorded vote. But I don’t believe this should be optional. If councillors are confident in their decisions, they should stand by their votes. And if they change their minds on an issue, which is perfectly reasonable, they should be willing to explain why.

If re-elected, I will begin the next term by asking that every vote be recorded in the minutes. This isn’t just a symbolic gesture—it’s a concrete step toward greater accountability. Some may find it uncomfortable, but I believe that integrity and transparency cannot just be campaign buzzwords; they must be backed by real action.

On a technical note, I’ve already confirmed with municipal staff that the software we use to prepare agendas and minutes is designed with this capability at no additional cost. We are already paying for the tools needed to make this happen—it simply requires the will to use them.

This is a realistic, affordable, and meaningful way to raise the standard of accountability for St. Paul’s council. I’m ready to take this step, because residents deserve nothing less than full transparency from their elected officials.