The work ahead of city council will change by the day and sometimes by the hour over the next four years but the group has the necessary strengths to draw upon to meet challenges, said newly installed mayor Lyn Hall.
"I believe, as we look around the table, it is a diverse group that represents our city well and I know - by working with some over the past three years and knowing the newly elected councillors and the work they have done in our community - that their work ethic and commitment and dedication to our city is above and beyond," Hall said Monday night as part of his inaugural address to a packed council chambers gallery.
A standing-room-only crowd watched as Justice Ron Tindale administered the oaths of office to Hall and the eight councillors elected Nov. 15 - Frank Everitt, Garth Frizzell, Albert Koehler, Murry Krause, Terri McConnachie, Jillian Merrick, Susan Scott and Brian Skakun.
The group will meet early in the new year to map out their goals for the four-year term, but Hall outlined a couple of areas to which he already knows are going to be pulling focus.
He said he will introduce new committees that create partnerships with the city's education stakeholders - School District 57, University of Northern B.C. and College of New Caledonia - as well as the young people that populate those institutions.
"We heard loud and clear they wanted to participate in our community, they did participate in our community during the campaign and it's important we reconnect with them," said Hall, who sat on the school board of trustees for a decade before his move to city hall.
The new year's planning sessions will also focus on cementing the new mayor's campaign commitment to building community partnerships, creating a sound financial framework, reviewing infrastructure needs and dealing with social issues.
"But I can't stress too strongly that this is about reconnecting council to our community," said Hall. "It has been talked about many, many times during the campaign - it's about inclusion around this table and within the city. It's also about creating strong partnerships because without those partnerships we will not fulfill the needs of our city."
The new council will get the chance to cut their teeth on one proper meeting before the Christmas break on Dec. 15.
