London's former leaders dish out advice to the next mayor

London's mayor has just one vote on council, but is the leader who steers 14 people who will make key decisions about everything from transit to composting to how we handle an opioid crisis that is stretching the social safety net and tearing families and lives apart. 

It's been decades since a London mayor hasn't been involved in a scandal. 

But we asked those mayors, some more recently battled-scarred than others, what advice they'd give to whoever happens to win the mayoral race on Oct. 22. 

Here's what they had to say: 

Matt Brown

Mayor from 2014 to 2018

"The most important piece of advice to remember at all times is, you're one vote. That's why developing a strategic plan in consultation with your colleagues is so important. Local government is nothing like other levels of government. You have to build consensus." 

Brown suggests speaking immediately after the election to the ward councillor winners, who have been door-knocking and know "the hearts and minds of their constituents." That way, you can figure out key initiatives together. 

"You need eight votes, not just one, to get anything done." 

Joni Baechler

Mayor from June to November, 2014

"Recognize the difference between winning and governing. It's about engagement of citizens and leaders, about collaborating and compromising and getting as close as you can to the vision that you have. If the mayor can't collaborate and compromise, it will be another divided council." 

Although there might be, at times, 15 different mandates from the mayor and 14 ward councillors, it's up to the mayor to understand the different priorities and to govern. 

"Don't let your ego lead you. Too often, members of council get stuck in their own viewpoint. You have to be willing to admit that you don't have all the answers. You have to park the populist rhetoric." 

Anne-Marie Decicco-Best

Mayor from 2000 to 2010

"Take time right at the beginning to make sure you get a good feel for how city hall works, for what you can and can't do. It's easy to make a lot of promises when you're campaigning, it's not always the same when you get there. If you're better prepared with what you can do, you can develop something that you can realistically execute and deliver." 

Strengthen the relationship you have with the councillors, and allow the councillors to strengthen relationships they have with each other. 

"Right after any election, there's a tendency to want to deliver right away. Four years is a long term. You have the ability to do things in a planned fashion, to take them forward. Learn from councillors and understand that you may not agree on everything, but find a way to move past that and respect each other." 

Dianne Haskett

Mayor from 1995 to 2000

"Have a vision and know where you think the City of London has to go. Exercise leadership in a way that will help people buy into that vision, and encourage the other councillors to live up to their leadership abilities. Help those ward councillors find ways to be successful." 

Establishing personal relationships with councillors goes a long way to getting a vision passed, Haskett said. 

"Don't let the administration set the agenda. If there isn't strong leadership from the mayor and council, the administration has to step in and set the course, and if that happens, the city will run but it won't be a city with a vision. Be prepared to draw together as a team and show leadership, take the best advice from administration and make those tough decisions." 

Calls to former London Mayor Joe Fontana, who held the job from 2010 to 2014, were not returned.