A powerful reason for a low voter turn-out, is that most voters realise, that staff run everything, so why bother voting?
A careful study of past projects, put forward to council will inevitably show that these projects, usually originated from a strategic planner, acting on delegated authority, or a consultant.
As soon as your council is properly established, the CEO will table a document that delegates a whole range of decisions to the staff.
Do not vote on it!
Put it on hold, and give councillors time to digest the contents, and work out what the delegations actually mean. Then make any delegation provisional, and demand that it be brought back for regular confirmation.
New councillors would do well to call for a independent audit of council functions and staff, an initiative already tabled by current councillors, Rick Curach, and Catherine Stewart.
Graham H. Clarke, Avenues.