Frizzell, new Prince George council sworn in as new term begins

“It’s exciting to be able to focus full attention on one position,” Frizzell said.

That transition was underscored by a new tradition at City Hall.

Outgoing mayor Simon Yu placed the Chain of Office on his successor, a symbolic transfer that Frizzell said reflected an unusually constructive transition between administrations.

“It presented itself as a unique opportunity,” Frizzell said. “I haven’t had this moment where there was such an opportunity for a peaceful transition.”

Frizzell said he and Yu had spent hours together discussing ongoing files and where matters had been left.

“I think it marks a maturity in the community that you don’t see everywhere else this day and age,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to have it.”

Frizzell also used the occasion to begin another tradition intended to reach well beyond his own term.

He presented Yu with a leather-bound book bearing the city seal. Inspired by the practice of leaders leaving letters for their successors, the book is intended to collect messages from successive Prince George mayors.

Yu, whom Frizzell praised for his calligraphy skills, will make the first entry.

“It’s not mine. It’s not his,” Frizzell explained. “But I’ll receive it, and I’ll have his wisdom. And the next mayor, I’ll add mine to it, and then that’ll pass on through the years. Mayor after mayor.”

Even the arrangement of the new council table carried significance.

Councillors Cori Ramsay and Nicole Fraser were seated immediately beside the mayor, and Frizzell said deciding where councillors sit involves considerably more thought than some might expect.

“There’s a reflection of the importance of women in leadership,” he said. “There’s a reflection of the number of votes that the community gave them. There’s a reflection of the experience. And then there’s things like ease of egress to get outside.”

Frizzell jokingly described putting the seating plan together as “almost like a Tetris game.”

“And at the end we wind up with everybody being equally happy.”

While the ceremony provided an opportunity for symbolism and celebration, for five new councillors it also marked the beginning of a steep learning curve.

Dan Pears is among the newcomers to the council table.

He said taking the oath wasn’t nerve-racking.

“Not nerve wracking at all. Just exciting. Exciting for what’s coming up.”

For Pears, some of the major issues are already clear.

“Budget is a huge one,” he said. “And hopefully get some industry coming to town and get our street issues downtown and stuff cleaned up are some of the big issues for sure that are coming up that we got to get on right away.”

Pears said newly elected councillors have already taken part in educational sessions, with more training ahead.

The experience has also given him a new appreciation for the effort required simply to get elected.

“I’ve learned that it’s a lot of work to run for council,” Pears said. “There’s a lot of forums and a lot of signs and a lot of door knocking. And it’s not just throw your name out there and see what happens.”

As he settles into his seat in council chambers, Pears said the experience remaining around the table will be an asset to the newcomers.

“I’m glad that we have a lot of experience still at the table with Brian Skakun, Trudy Klassen and Cori Ramsay, and Mayor Frizzell for almost a couple decades of experience,” Pears said.

“It’ll be good to follow their lead, and they can help us along, and hopefully we can get good things done with the city.”

Frizzell, meanwhile, is wasting little time settling into his new position.

He said his immediate task is moving into the mayor’s office after receiving the keys, followed by meetings and school visits.

At the same time, he will begin shaping the committee structure that will help guide the new council’s work.

Frizzell said standing committees established by the mayor are intended to reflect community priorities. In the past, those have included committees dealing with finance and audit and intergovernmental affairs.

He plans to work with council to determine which committees will operate and who will serve on them.

“There’s a lot of priorities that you heard around the table tonight. A lot of priorities in the community,” Frizzell said.

The mayor said he has his own vision for the term, but that vision will have to be developed alongside the eight councillors who now share the council table with him.

“And I’ve got a vision,” he said. “We’ll get it articulated and it has to be ready within two weeks.”

For the new mayor and council, the ceremony was the formal beginning.

Now, as Pears put it, the work that follows the campaign begins.

by Cheryl Jahn

Frizzell, new Prince George council sworn in as new term begins

What's Trending