Estevan city council dedicated a few minutes to discussing an amended dress code policy, with all six councillors chiming in on whether council members should be subject to the same rules as city staff.
I think city council should have more pressing things to discuss than what they wear to meetings, even in late June, which typically marks the start of the dog days of summer. Yes, there's been a dress code for city staff for years, but it should still be pretty low on the policy priority chart.
Appearance of council members is something that should be reinforced with the returning members and stressed to the new members at the start of the term, rather than eight months into the term. And a policy shouldn't be needed; they should know the value of looking the part of elected officials in a professional setting. It shouldn't even have to be included in their introductory package at the start of the term.
Their appearance should at least match mine. And I don't set the bar very high.
I don't think councillors have to be dressed in formal attire, as was suggested in the policy. The mayor and possibly the city manager should be expected to wear formal clothing. For the other members of city council and the management team, business casual should be the minimum expectation.
This means shirts need to have collars. They have to look professional and can't have advertising or logos. They don't need to have long sleeves in the summer; a golf shirt is fine. T-shirts are absolutely unacceptable. (The exception would be if members are wearing uniforms to supporting something local, such as when city council donned Estevan Bruins' jerseys in 2018 to show support for our local club during their run to the SJHL final).
Pants are required. Shorts aren't acceptable. And not blue jeans. A stylish pair of black jeans might be reasonable. Shoes have to look professional as well, even if we might not see them when members are seated at desks.
I can be old-school at times, and so I'll say I think beards should be neatly trimmed, tattoos shouldn't be visible and hair needs to look good (for those who have hair) but I understand those aren't frowned upon by the general public like they used to be.
Municipal politics is not easy. It's lot of work and there's an increasing amount of verbal abuse for little pay. It's getting tougher to find quality candidates. Those who run have a lot of reasons, but one of the common-denominator reasons is a love for their community.
That being said, there should be a basic standard for council members and the mayor during meetings, when in council chambers, while at city hall and when representing the city.
And it goes beyond city council. We should strive to look the part in all situations and our appearance should be suited to the circumstances. I'm going to dress differently for a city council meeting than a Bruins' game. I'm going to look differently for court on a Monday morning than at the Estevan Motor Speedway. But there are still basic expectations as far as what I do (and don't) wear.
I think council chambers is one of those occasions that should have an appearance requirement for anyone who enters for a meeting. Not just council members and city management. All of us. Media members. Presenters. People in the gallery. So no t-shirts. No headwear, unless it's for religious or uniform reasons. Same goes for court. I cringe when I see the appearance of some people appearing before the judge. Same goes for banquets.
A lot of Royal Canadian Legion branches used to have a policy that if you wore a hat in the clubroom, you had to buy a drink for everyone inside. (Some legions might still have that rule). I can think of other places that should have a similar policy.
I'm not asking our council members to be dressed like a lawyer appearing in court. But I am saying they should be dressed like when I meet with my accountant or my banker. Look the part. It will only help credibility.
