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Julie Ann Bertram
Julie Ann Bertram is a School Board Trustee in Zone 1 for the Near North District School Board in West Nipissing.
In our ongoing effort to spotlight the experiences of women in municipal politics, we reached out to those elected in the 2022 municipal elections in Northern Ontario. We asked these newly elected councillors and trustees to share their insights and reflections on the transition from candidate to council. Here are their candid and firsthand accounts of the challenges, surprises, and lessons learned along the way.
Julie Ann Bertram is a School Board Trustee in Zone 1 for the Near North District School Board in West Nipissing.
What initially inspired or motivated you to run for council, and how did you envision your role before being elected?
I was inspired to help my community by actively participating, and promoting the role of public education as a means to improve society. I expected a large learning curve, which is still happening. I also expected to be able to share ideas easily with colleagues.
How did your expectations or perceptions change once you took office?
The abundance of red tape is ridiculous… e.g. Robert’s Rules [being] used as a hindrance to dialogue instead of a guiding template for meetings. There seem to be plenty of egos and personal agendas going around.
What do you wish people knew about running for office, based on your own experience?
People should understand that a board’s policies, bylaws, and guidelines are fundamental to governance. I wish I had spent more time familiarizing myself with them while running for election - it would have saved me months of stress, jumping into the role and frantically trying to absorb so much information while also dealing with decisions/processes that were already in place before I arrived.
Looking back at your first year in office, what were the most rewarding aspects of serving in your municipal role?
I found out that I love conferences, everyone is there for a common purpose. Conversations with people who genuinely care about making the world a better place [are] so inspiring! Bringing that enthusiasm back has been incredibly rewarding, and has helped improve my ability in the role.
On the other hand, what challenges did you face during your first year, and how did you navigate or address them?
I learned how to be bold! There is no [room] for being timid. I feel a lack of communication, and it’s difficult to navigate, but emotions should not overwhelm the reasons I’m there in the first place. Calming my anxiety has been a great skill to learn!
What valuable lessons have you learned or insights gained that you'd like to share with others considering a similar path in politics?
This is something that people should understand: diplomacy is key to building and sustaining relationships, [whether] with colleagues or with the public. Thick skin and strong ethics are required.
Where can people find you?
In our ongoing effort to spotlight the experiences of women in municipal politics, we reached out to those elected in the 2022 municipal elections in Northern Ontario. We asked these newly elected councillors and trustees to share their insights and reflections on the transition from candidate to council. Here are their candid and firsthand accounts of the challenges, surprises, and lessons learned along the way.
Kathy Hamer is a councillor in McDougall.
WERE THERE ANY SURPRISES OR UNEXPECTED ASPECTS ABOUT THE ROLE?
I was surprised by the learning curve associated with becoming an elected official. I thought I had experience from working on non-profit boards previously, serving in various roles on these boards and on different types of boards. While the gist of how a meeting is supposed to occur and how governance works are transferable skills, they did not prepare me for the formalities of council proceedings, the distinctions between resolutions and bylaws (which may seem trivial now), etc. I also found it difficult to locate the necessary resources to guide me on simple procedures.
WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACED WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM A CANDIDATE TO AN ELECTED OFFICIAL?
I found a few great resources when I decided to run for council - a certain Amanda Kingsley for PoliNow was an amazing resource; ElectHer, government resources online which provided much-needed guidance on running a successful campaign. Once I became an elected official, the resources seemed to dry up. Yes, there is training by your local council, but I felt unprepared moving forward after the training. This might be affected by how many new members are elected to the council for the term. I also found it difficult to find the same level of resources as before the election.
It was like starting a new job with very little hands-on training. The available training doesn’t seem to start with the basics — things like how to deal with a ratepayer with a complaint or concern, initiate a bylaw, or support a request for support from another municipality.
WHAT VALUABLE LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED OR INSIGHTS GAINED THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OTHERS CONSIDERING A SIMILAR PATH IN POLITICS?
When you are first elected, you are congratulated, and everyone you speak to seems happy that you were elected. Things start to change when you don’t necessarily support a ratepayer in the way they feel you should because you are making a decision based on the good of the whole community.
I am serving on a council with a very small population. Hence, you need to mind your conversations/behaviour/appearance in public, including personal conversations. People will recognize you, but you may not recognize all your ratepayers, or realize other community members are aware of who you are.
Ratepayers will also contact you with a concern/problem and expect you to fix it. This can cause problems with staff as they try to follow procedures and policies that you may be unwittingly not following. It is best to redirect the issue to the correct staff member and allow them to address it.
WHAT DO YOU WISH PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT WORKING AS A POLITICIAN, BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE?
I am learning that while I like to explain things, it is not necessarily the best thing to do. You may try to explain why a decision was made, and something you innocently said while trying to explain can be taken out of context and shared with other community members.
I think the biggest misconception is that as a politician, you have more control over staff than what you really do. We serve in a governance position, and as such, we provide the overall guidance/direction of how the community will run, but we do not get involved in the day-to-day operations.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: khamer30@gmail.com
These profiles are part of our ongoing series featuring women councillors and trustees elected through the ElectNOW initiative. Surveys were sent to all woman councillors and trustees who participated in the 2022 ElectNOW series. While some answers have been edited for clarity and spelling, the responses provided are the candidates' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of PoliticsNOW. If you are a woman councillor, mayor, or trustee residing in Northern Ontario and would like to be featured in this series, please fill out our survey.
Julie Ann Bertram
Julie Ann (she/her) is a parent of 3 children attending schools within the NNDSB. Her background is in the arts, as a musician and writer. She has been running a business in West Nipissing for over ten years and sits on a few volunteer committees in her small community of Field. She believes that strong and progressive communities begin with a strong and progressive public education system.
Julie Ann Bertram is running for School Board Trustee in Zone 1 for the Near North District School Board in West Nipissing.
Julie Ann (she/her) is a parent of 3 children attending schools within the NNDSB. Her background is in the arts, as a musician and writer. She has been running a business in West Nipissing for over ten years and sits on a few volunteer committees in her small community of Field. She believes that strong and progressive communities begin with a strong and progressive public education system.
Why are you running for this position?
I can bring a different type of insight and expression to the table where the voices of our students, parents, teachers, and support staff are heard while upholding the progressing vision, mission, and values of the Board and the Ministry of Education. Concise communication between advocates, the Board, and policymakers is key to quickening action taken throughout the public education system.
With the pandemic came extra responsibilities at home, I became involved in my children’s schooling much more than I had ever planned. During this time, it was important for me to understand how they learned, what they missed about in-class learning, how they navigated online learning, and what they liked about learning from home. Now that most students are back in the classroom, I feel it urgent that extra academic assistance and mental/social health supports are available within schools to help alleviate the stress of the past few years. These observations, along with further discussions, can be beneficial to creating a future of education where our children are inspired, engaged, and well-prepared for the next stages of life in society.
What do you think are the greatest challenges your municipality faces?
The challenges our municipality faces are the same as most: a high cost of living, reduced quality of life, food insecurity, homelessness, problematic substance use, violence, and a rise in mental health issues combined with a lacking support system.
Other than the official ways of communicating (minutes, municipal notes), how else will you reach out to your constituents to involve them in the decision making process?
It is important to note how most people prefer to communicate these days.
Social media campaigns and direct emails with concise messaging, perhaps witty, and inventive correspondence from trustees to the community can surpass the traditional humdrum notices we all tend to ignore, and therefore tend to miss out on pertinent information. I feel a lack of humour in general has been a detriment to what should be an overall excitement as we help shape the future! We may want to take a step forward, away from the conventional solemnity that has been the norm.
Involving students in these communications is also important. Young people have generous and infectious energy that will automatically bring parents and community partners into the information fold.
Why do you think it’s important for women to be represented in civic leadership, including on committees, boards and municipal councils?
Women in leadership positions bring a less authoritative and more collaborative approach to the workplace, providing a different set of talents and imaginative solutions to the table. A creative perspective and unique sensitivity allow for ideas that may otherwise be missed.
Where can people find you?
Facebook
mail@julieannbertram.com
289-970-0150