Full Podcast: https://lovethenorth.ca/article/261004-sudbury-ward-shawn-rossi-on Ward 8 candidate Shawn Rossi says people should not run for City Council simply because they want the position — they should come prepared to actually understand the job. Rossi says he spent years studying municipal issues before putting his name on the ballot because councillors are expected to make decisions involving roads, infrastructure, housing, taxes, development, bylaws and hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. His concern is that someone can get elected, spend four years learning as they go, and still make poor decisions because they never took the time to understand the systems they were responsible for overseeing. Rossi argues that elected officials need enough knowledge to challenge the information being placed in front of them. They need to understand the issue well enough to ask: Does this make sense? Is there a better way? What are other cities doing? What does this actually cost? What happens five or ten years from now? He says councillors cannot simply accept “that’s the way we’ve always done it” from City departments. They need to research alternatives, question outdated policies and understand enough about the subject to recognize when something is not working. Rossi also says the questions have to come from the councillor’s own understanding — not simply from talking points handed to them by somebody else. **His message is that City Council is not the place to learn the basics after you get elected.** When taxpayers are trusting councillors with major decisions, Rossi believes candidates should arrive prepared to analyze information, challenge assumptions and understand the consequences of the votes they cast. #Sudbury #Ward8 #ShawnRossi #CityCouncil #Accountability #CityHall #TaxpayerDollars #MunicipalElection #GreaterSudbury #LoveTheNorth