Mayor Jan Liggett made a pledge that she and council will aim higher in "transparency, consultation and accountability" as Cambridge council gathered in person for the first time since February 2020 on Tuesday night.
The inaugural meeting of council, witnessed by a full house of mainly family and friends of the nine newly-elected representatives and close to 300 viewers on the city's YouTube channel, featured the oath of office and swearing in of each member with the help of Justice Paddy Hardman.
"Protection of the environment, economic growth and innovation, development that respects our unique assets, preserving our built and natural heritage, and advocating for the housing needs of local residents are all honourable goals for this term," Liggett said in outlining her mandate.
The mayor used the term "social recession" to describe what she called an ongoing disengagement, isolation and suspicion of others leading to growing problems of homelessness and addiction. She pledged to prioritize "infrastructure for the human spirit" to build Cambridge back up as a place "of much needed creativity, inclusion, tolerance and invention that grows out of optimism and joy" to make it more "prosperous, resilient and sustainable."
"This will be the core tenet of my term as mayor," she said.
Liggett says this is a critical time for those involved in city building to aim higher and believes Cambridge can become the "antidote" to its own social recession by re-establishing community engagement as a normal and expected part of decision making.
"We must rediscover the spirit and substance of listening and hearing from each other," she said.
One of her main goals with the help of council "will be to succeed" in lobbying the provincial government for rehab, detox and mental health facilities.
"Those living with addictions need free, repeated as often as necessary, long-term access to rehab and detox," she said. "That is where money is best spent and lives can be saved."
She also called on the province to enact mandatory treatment through the court system.
Liggett then reiterated her call for a more visible police presence in the city's cores to heighten safety and security for citizens.
Liggett said it's fortunate that more than half of council, including herself as mayor are new to their roles.
"The people of Cambridge gave us a gift through the election process. They gave us something different than in the past; the opportunity to truly start fresh with a diverse and dynamic group of people forming council.
"I'm so looking forward to serving the community along side them," she said.
With that, Liggett announced that Karen Pepper has been promoted internally to lead the office of the mayor and council on outreach initiatives in the community.
The mayor also said she paired each new councillor with a veteran councillor to provide guidance and mentoring, "and in return the new members can share their fresh way of looking at things."
She urged council to be willing to "expand beyond the echo chambers we have found ourselves in" in recent years.
A critical component to council's success will be collaboration, she added.
Looking forward to the 50th anniversary of the forming of the City of Cambridge next year, Liggett said it's exciting to know the new term coincides with planned celebrations to mark the milestone.
She lamented some of the changes she's noticed in recent years, however, including the apparent apathy of some residents reflected in the unwillingness to volunteer and give back to the community because of what she believes is a general feeling of being unappreciated.
"Your community needs your back."
Tuesday's inaugural meeting was also the first live test of $268,000 worth of technical upgrades that will allow hybrid meetings to continue.
The audio visual equipment in council chambers was over a decade old and everything except two large screens, speakers and a few of the newer cameras were replaced over the last few months.
The upgrades include advanced video production with more camera angles, automated camera switching, broadcast graphics including lower thirds and simultaneous camera/content screen layouts.
Hybrid meetings will also be able to utilize many of the above features with remote participants able to interact with the on-site meeting system for voting and request to speak functions.
Accessibility options for hearing impaired attendees has also been upgraded.
