What does it actually mean to be mayor?
In this episode of Nonpartisan Hacks, Joel Grenz and Sean Wood sit down with Mayor Nicole Minions of Comox to talk about leadership at the municipal level, and how governing really works when you move from being one vote at the table to chairing the meeting.
Minions reflects on becoming mayor by acclamation in 2022 under extraordinary circumstances, what surprised her most about the role, and why “mayoring” is less about power and more about facilitation, decorum, and trust. From public hearings with hundreds of residents to regional collaboration across the Comox Valley, the conversation digs into the skills that separate functional councils from dysfunctional ones.
Recorded in Sean’s kitchen (fresh bread included) the discussion ranges from core services and infrastructure financing to Bee City designations, asset management, working with opposition MLAs and MPs, and why most of the mayor’s real work happens far from the spotlight.
Listen in for:
- What actually changes when you become mayor
- Why facilitation matters more than force at the council table
- How to run public hearings without letting them derail
- The difference between core services and the “extra” 10–20% that signals values
- Why good governance is often invisible until it fails
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