They promised to be more accountable to the people, to be more transparent in their decision-making. So have they fulfilled that pledge?
The answer to that question may depend on who you ask and how much you think should be revealed in the pursuit for more open government.
As members of Sackville town council reach the midway point of their mandate, it's time to take a look back at how they've fared in their first two years in office. And to review their accomplishments and missteps since the May 2008 municipal election.
"I definitely think we've done a better job of being more accountable and open," says Mayor Pat Estabrooks.
Estabrooks points to not only council's decision in 2009 to open up their monthly discussion meetings to the public and to reveal the pricetag of land purchases, but also the manner in which council has kept the community up-to-date on a number of issues.
Geoff Martin, a local political watchdog and former town councillor, only half agrees with the mayor's assessment.
"I think it's mixed. We can see some improvements . . . to some extent, they have lived up to a lot of their (election platform) themes of transparency and openness. But they're still clinging to some of the more annoying aspects of secrecy."
Martin, a Mount Allison political science professor who teaches classes on municipal government, says the recurring personnel issues with management staff at town hall continue to raise serious concerns in the community.
With last year's unexplained dismissal of longtime parks and recreation director Paula McCloskey and departure of CAO Barry Carroll, as well as the more recent firing of community economic development director Warren Maddox, many unanswered questions still remain.
"There seems to be a general lack of disclosure, particularly on the cost of those resignations and departures," says Martin. "And I think the ongoing mismanagement is an area that people are unhappy with."
Martin believes that council's "erratic behaviour" in this area may affect the town's future ability to bring in top-notch people to fill those management positions
Rob Lyon, a downtown business owner, would tend to agree.
"My biggest concern under this council has been the turnover in staff in the management positions," he says. "Four people in two years, and especially the loss of former CAO Barry Carroll, has cost the town dearly."
The mayor, however, maintains that staffing issues, whether it's a hiring or firing, need to be handled with discretion and sometimes the public can perceive that in the wrong way.
"With personnel issues, you have to be very careful . . ." she says.
But in other areas, many residents are favourably impressed with this council's efforts to bring more transparency to local government.
Bill Evans, a longtime council spectator, says he had become disillusioned with municipal-level government three years ago when the council of the day moved ahead with privatizing the operation of Sackville's water treatment plant without public consultation.
He points out, however, that he has witnessed a transformation since the new council was elected two years ago.
"The openness and accountability manifested by the informative and substantial discussions make attending council meetings worthwhile," says Evans. "I applaud their efforts to solicit input from and to inform citizens in public meetings and presentations."
So while the new town council seems to have somewhat opened up the lines of communication with the public, have they opened up their minds and developed a realistic vision for the future of the community?
Again, the answer to that would depend on who you ask.
While some are insistent that this council is solidly moving forward with a bold plan, others aren't as convinced that our municipal leaders have yet set the groundwork in the right direction.
Michael Fox, a Mount Allison professor who led the development of this council's new strategic plan over the past year-and-a-half, gives kudos to the mayor and councillors for creating a wide-ranging set of goals for the next five to 10 years, most importantly with plenty of public input.
"Council displayed enormous leadership and courage in moving forward with a broad public consultation process over the 2009 period, culminating with the approval, in principle, of a comprehensive strategic plan," says Fox.
And he says he's even more pleased to see this council is not just letting the document sit on a shelf gathering dust.
"Into 2010, I have been very impressed with mayor and council's ability to work together to find common ground for the vision and overall goals of the strategic plan," says Fox. "They have hired a new CAO and, together, they have already achieved a number of those goals."
Fox, who attends nearly all of the regular council meetings, says he's pleased to see that most members of this council have committed themselves to putting aside petty issues and differences and are working instead for the betterment of the community.
"I think most council members have realized that day-to-day quibbles over street closures, bylaw infractions or wind turbines, or issues that are clearly not within their role, do not serve to advance the community."
Fox says he's encouraged about the prospects for the next two years.
"As we see the goals of the strategic plan carried forward, I believe that those members of council who see the longer-term vision of where the town needs to go will find enormous support from Sackville citizens," he states. "Major issues such as the new town hall facility, the municipal and sustainability plans, enhanced relationships with students and others at Mount Allison, and implementation of the recreation master plan, will all lead to enormous civic engagement and lasting quality of life for residents."
Lyon, chair of Sackville's downtown revitalization committee, says he's not as convinced as Fox about council's leadership skills over the past two years.
He says although he felt a strong sense of optimism when this new council was voted in, he's still not sure a clear direction has been set, particularly in the area of economic development.
"My personal feeling is that there has been too much micro-managing and not enough looking at the big picture and projecting the town into the next decade."
He believes, however, there are signs of change in the air.
"There now seems to be the beginnings of some developments with the downtown in relation to the parks, which is great to see."
And Lyon is hopeful that the next two years will feature a "stronger, more aggressive approach to economic development in the downtown core."
Martin also questions whether this council is looking at the "bigger picture." As a former deputy mayor and town councillor himself, Martin says the municipality at one time was working towards paying off its debt and only approving larger infrastructure projects based on what the town could afford out of capital-out-of-revenue funds.
Now with a $12-million municipal building project in the works and a water tower recently constructed, the town seems to be moving further away from that philosophy, he points out. He wonders whether an all-in-one municipal service building needed to be merged all under one roof or if other options should have been more seriously considered - alternatives with a lower pricetag and a lesser environmental cost.
"It's about being creative in dealing with the problems you have, not 'gold-plating' things . . ."
Mayor Estabrooks insists that the new building was sorely needed and will be a "focal point of the community."
She says it's time to move away from the traditional customs of the past and become a more up-to-date community that will attract new businesses and residents.
And she believes - with a new strategic plan, a recreation master plan, and a municipal plan all in place - that Sackville is well on its way to achieving greater economic, environmental and social results .
The strategic plan sets out priorities that will lead the council into the next half of their term, says Estabrooks.
Already, several of the recommendations from the plan have been approved, including a change to the monthly council meeting format, a review of management staff, and a restructuring of the town's key departments.
"This clarifies our roles as council . . . and it gives the directors (town managers) very clear lines of the chain of command and greater accountability for their departments."
The mayor is adamant that this council, with both newcomers and veterans to the political arena, has made great progress in its first two years of its mandate.
"I think we've done wonderful . . . I think we've overcome a lot of things; we've come a long way."
And as the council moves into the second half of their term, Estabrooks predicts even further planning for the community's future, including the completion of a sustainability plan.
"With that plan, we'll have to look at what major projects we will need to consider in the years ahead," she says. "We'll have to make some big decisions on what the future will look like and look at where we're going."
