Karen Williams declares victory after the local government election on April 28.
ONE hundred days in office has been a benchmark of late to measure the performance of new governments.
Monday's 100 days for Mayor Karen Williams and her new council, of which six were first timers, provides an early method of measuring results versus election promises.
Mayor lists her top achievements
However, we need to be careful not to draw too many conclusions from 100 days out of a 1460-day term of office. Indeed, the final 100 days will be more telling of the success, or otherwise, of this administration.
First, while slogans such as 'Back to Basics' set the scene for the Williams' style of governing, she knows as much as any of her councillors that it is the deep, underlying changes she makes to council's way of doing things that will ultimately deliver the change she advocated during her 18-month campaign.
The reality is that her plans can only deliver what she hoped for if her 10 colleagues ''get on board'' with her.
Although it is still early days, the public perception of a group of councillors all on the same page as the mayor is not quite there yet.
Behind closed doors, no doubt, there is robust debate on the plans Cr Williams wants to put in place.
Where Cr Williams can exert direct influence is in her dealings with the chief executive and other senior officers.
This is where she can work on changing the mindset of the organisation. This could be the area of most influence because much of the flak council has copped over the years can be traced to the failure of the elected representatives to represent.
If the councillors can unite in one area, it could be, or should be, to become the masters of their own destiny.
If they concentrate on how the decisions will impact on their constituencies, they will stay in touch with the people who elected them and what is good for the Redlands, rather than accepting why something can't be done.
In around 1300 days, we can draw up the ultimate report card.
