Hey, Councillor Brown, what do you actually do?
A few weekends ago, I was in my home office clearing a few emails after a long day attending community events. My fiancée, Melissa, came to the door and asked when I would be finished. I had promised we would watch a movie because we had not had much time together in recent weeks. I said I only had a few emails left, however a couple of hours later it was past midnight, and I had missed our movie.
People stop me wherever I go to ask questions, raise concerns, or sometimes to offer thanks. Recently, a few folks have asked what my day actually looks like, and so, I thought this might be a great opportunity to share what the role actually looks like as your voice around the Council table.
Being a City Councillor is not nine to five. It is early mornings, late nights, and a steady stream of calls, emails, meetings, and reports. Some weeks exceed 80 hours. My goal every day is simple. Help as many people as possible and keep the City working for our community.
My team and I are on the front line for residents. We answer thousands of emails and phone calls each year about snow clearing, garbage pickup, building permits, speeding, potholes, drainage, and by-law issues. Since taking office, we have actioned more than 10,500 resident cases. We triage each request, track it, and follow up with the right department until there is an answer. When an issue is site specific, I will meet you there. If a ditch is flooding, a sightline is blocked, or a culvert has failed, I go to the location to confirm what is happening and push the City for a resolution.
Traffic and roads are a key focus for me. My office continually works with staff on traffic calming studies, speed reviews, signage, and sightline improvements. For resurfacing and maintenance, I advocate for funding to be directed to the worst roads first so residents experience the most significant improvement in their community. We escalate service gaps and hold contractors and departments to account for timely, quality work. During storms or outages, we coordinate information, flag hazards, and communicate to residents until the service gets restored.
I meet with City staff on development files, zoning amendments, and minor variances. We help residents and community associations navigate the Official Plan, the zoning by-law, site plan requirements, and timelines. We push for practical adjustments early, including parking impacts, safe access, stormwater, and construction staging.
I meet regularly with community associations to develop timelines to advocate for local projects. We support grant applications and line up the right partners inside the City to move work forward.
Keeping you informed is part of the job. My office publishes a regular newsletter with project timelines and community events. We use social media and community meetings to share progress and gather feedback. We track commitments and report back so you can see what has been delivered and what is next.
The work does not stop at 5:00 pm. I handle urgent calls in the evenings and on weekends. My team coordinates with 3-1-1, Public Works, Hydro Ottawa, and emergency services to name just a few, to get information and action issues efficiently.
One of the best parts of the job is attending the numerous community events hosted by dedicated volunteers. These events bring people together and make the long hours worthwhile. My day is as varied as the people I represent.
I ran for office to deliver measurable results. I will not always get it right or move as fast as everyone would like, but I will always work hard to get it done.
All of this is a pretty high level of what I might do in a day, but if you have ever wondered what the day and role of someone you elected to represent you entails, I hope this gives you a small window into my work as an elected public official.