I Missed 281 Votes?! Let’s Talk About What Council Really Votes On.

If you’ve seen the numbers floating around — yes, it’s true: 

I’ve missed 281 votes over the last 4 years out of 5,754 votes on Edmonton City Council.

Sounds like a lot, right? But context matters.

That’s a 95% attendance rate — 5,473 votes cast — over a full council term.

But here’s the thing: councillors aren’t supposed to be at everything. That’s not how City Hall is designed to work. And honestly, if we were all in every single meeting, voting on every single motion, we’d get a whole lot less done. 

Let’s unpack this.

Voting 101: What We Actually Vote On

Most people assume that when councillors vote, it’s always on something big — a new rec centre, a billion-dollar budget item, or a major housing policy.

But we also vote on things like:

• Extending a meeting to 9PM
• Approving a second round of questions
• Changing the order of the agenda
• Referring a report back to Administration

These are procedural votes — important to manage efficiencies as a council, but they don’t always require every single councillor to be in the room at every moment. Sometimes I step out to take a call from a constituent or take a bathroom break. That’s not neglect, it’s reality. 

At public hearings, we vote on every item not selected for debate and each item gets five separate votes. So, if I miss the first 10 minutes of a hearing, I could technically miss five omnibus votes on 25 items. That’s 125 votes just like that.

In other words, being 15 minutes late to two meetings over eight years can add up to over 200 “missed votes” — even if I was present for the rest of the day. That’s how the numbers work.

Quorum Keeps Council Moving

City Council, like any formal body, operates under quorum, the minimum number of members that must be present for official business to continue.

In Edmonton, that number is seven for City Council meetings and Public Hearings and three for committee meetings. So no, Council doesn’t grind to a halt if one or two councillors need to briefly step away. The system is built to keep things moving, even when every single person isn’t in the room for every single vote.

Committees Exist for a Reason

City Council doesn’t function best when all twelve of us are in every single meeting. 

That’s why we have committees, smaller groups assigned to specific areas like infrastructure, budget, or public services.

Committees dig into the details, ask hard questions, and shape proposals before they ever make it to Council. That’s how we streamline decision-making and avoid bottlenecks.

Councillors aren’t meant to be in every room, all the time. We divide the workload so we can focus, go deeper, and ultimately make better decisions for Edmonton.

Why I Don’t Aim for 100%

Let me put it plainly: if I had a perfect attendance record, you should be worried.

It would mean I was treating every motion as equally important. Whether it’s voting on a $250 million transportation project or deciding whether the meeting should go five minutes longer.

That’s not leadership. That’s just logging time.

So yes, my attendance is 95% — 5,473 votes cast out of 5,754 — with just 281 missed over 4 years.

That’s not just a number, it reflects years of experience, focus and knowing when to lean in and when to let the system work as designed.

A Quick Note on the Numbers Game

And on the flip side, some past councillors, like Michael Walters, missed 413 votes in just their last term (2017–2021). So if we’re keeping score, let’s be honest about all the mayoral candidates.

So yes, I “missed” 281 votes.
Over 4 years.
Out of 5,754.

Final Thoughts

The recent missed vote was a tough one. And I’ve taken responsibility for it.

But I also hope it’s weighed against eight years of service, thousands of votes cast and a consistent commitment to showing up where it counts. When it comes to the big, city-shaping decisions, I’ve been there. I supported the motion on Zero Based Budgeting and Municipal Development Corporation. I was at the table for the Memorandum of Understanding with the Province and the Oilers Entertainment Group. I led the charge on the Terwillegar Drive expansion. 

I’m not interested in being present just for the sake of appearances. I’m here to make decisions that move Edmonton forward. That’s how I’ve approached the job and that’s what I’ll keep doing.

Let’s keep building a better city together.

Tim Cartmell