While every city council term brings its own unique challenges, it’s safe to say that no one’s seen challenges quite as unique as the ones experienced over the last two-and-a-half years. As we head into summer break for council, and as we head toward the final month of nominations to run in the October 24 municipal election, we’re sitting down with Guelph’s newest city councillors to talk about their experiences.

The Strategic Plan, the Community Plan, COVID-19, homelessness, mental health and addiction, the South End Community Centre, the Baker Street Redevelopment, the new main library, multi-year budgeting, the ward boundary and council compensation review, the comprehensive zoning bylaw review, the Official Plan review, the Clair-Maltby Secondary Plan… Those are just a handful of the initiatives tackled by city council in the last term, and that’s not small potatoes.

Even without COVID and the issues created by it, this was going to be a highly consequential four years on council. When you look at all that’s been accomplished, it’s no wonder that so many long-serving members of council have decided to tap out, but there were two members of council for whom this was a baptism by fire. Ward 2 City Councillor Rodrigo Goller and Ward 6 City Councillor Dominique O’Rourke are the guests this week for a look back at a term unlike any other.

On this week’s podcast, O’Rourke and Goller will talk about the last four years, whether the experience was everything they hoped it would be, and how they feel the pandemic tested their leadership skills. We will also ask Goller about his community engagement efforts and how his game has changed running in the new Ward 2, and we will ask O’Rourke managing short-term and long-term endeavours and whether Guelph’s south end is better represented now than it was when she ran in 2018.

So let’s talk about the last four years on this week’s edition of the Guelph Politicast!

Dominique O’Rourke and Rodrigo Goller are both running for re-election, and you can see the complete list of candidates here. You can get in touch with O’Rourke through her campaign email address at orourke_ward6 [at] rogers.com, and you can find Goller’s campaign website here. You can also reach them on Twitter @orourke_ward6 and @ward2rodrigo.

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