FRANK LEONARD: Message to the newly elected; "They are not inviting you, they are inviting your position"
Former Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard -- see complete bio below -- |
Mr. Mayor ... Mr. Chair ... Mr. President.
There you go – carry one of those titles
around for a while and you’ll think you’re pretty special. In fact, you might even seem smart as so many
marvel at your words. The key is though to know how you’ll be treated when the
title is gone.
Elsewhere in these stories I will describe how I’ve
chased these titles since grade five.
And this means I learned at an early age what happens when they are
gone.
The toughest school age experience was
being a ‘mover and shaker’ in our grade nine class, and so assured that I could
get elected School President for my grade ten year (this was at a time that
junior high was grade eight to ten.) My
dad’s transfer to Victoria put an end to that and I arrived at a new school for
grade ten with no one really giving a damn about my suggestions or yet alone
leadership. It was a long year and it
took to the end of grade eleven to finally challenge for School President,
albeit unsuccessfully.
The first adult experience came in 1986. Somehow, I managed to serve as President of
the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce in 1985 at the ripe age of 30. My wife and I attended cocktail parties,
receptions, and fundraisers all year long.
During the day I came and went from our family business to chair
meetings, speak at media announcements, attend ribbon cuttings and of course
meet Premiers and Cabinet Ministers. But
as soon as my term was up, the invites thinned out considerably. Seems the invites were to the Chamber
President but not for me.
The darkest contrast came when I lost the May 1996
provincial election. I’d spent three
years doing everything the leader had asked, and that often meant meeting
industry and lobby groups to represent the new face of our party. Ferry rides, Vancouver hotel rooms, lunches
and dinners were all part of the menu as I flourished within Gordon Campbell’s
inner circle – so much so that I was named in a Vancouver Sun story as one of
the party’s ‘up and comers.’
The day
after my election defeat that all changed – no one wanted to meet with me,
including Campbell. That summer was a
long one. So I was very much prepared for life after my
eighteen years as Mayor in 2014.
I knew
the invites would disappear and indeed they did. I still see the dinners, annual events and
ribbon cuttings on my ‘friends’ Facebook pages – but completely understand why
no one invites me anymore. And that is
the lesson for those currently in such political positions, particularly the
newly-elected.
You’re thrilled being
invited to events you never even knew of and flattered that so many people want
to hear your comments and opinions. But
know – and tell yourself daily – that this is not your real world. Know that they are not inviting you; they are
inviting your position.
Perhaps I’ll add a footnote to make my point. My political fundraiser always auctioned off
‘lunch with the Mayor.’ At the 2014 event, Alan Lowe worked his magic as an
auctioneer and just as two bidders were reaching a very high amount – he
suggested they both ‘win’ and buy lunch with the Mayor. They did and our campaign benefited from
their cheques. Post-election I still
felt obliged to buy these businessmen lunch, and I sent them emails offering to
set up a date and place but … they both responded and said ‘no thanks.’
You see, even when they’d paid big bucks they weren’t interested in
having lunch with me – it was my title.
ABOUT
FRANK LEONARD:
Frank
Leonard was Mayor of Saanich and Chair of the Police Board from 1996-2014 after
serving as a Councillor from 1986. While in public office, Frank chaired the
Municipal Finance Authority of BC, was President of the Union of BC
Municipalities and a Director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. He
has also served as Chair of the Capital Regional District, the Hospital
District and the region’s Housing Corporation.
Frank Leonard comes from a family business background, having
managed Victoria Tire Ltd.’s three Kal Tire stores prior to their sale in 1996.
While in business, Frank served as a Director of the BC Chamber of Commerce,
President of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, and on the boards of local
tourism and economic development groups. Frank has a B.A. (Honours) and M.A.
from the University of Victoria, and has completed the Institute of Corporate
Directors Program (ICD.D)
Frank Leonard is currently Chair of Parkbridge Lifestyles
Communities and a Director of Coast Capital Savings. He is a business
instructor at the University of Victoria and has previously served as a
Director of the BC Investment Management Corporation, Chair of the Municipal
Pension Plan and Chair of the BC Agricultural Land Commission.
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