Well we're just over six months into the life of our new city and new council, so it's time to take stock and issue the first of hopefully what will be many (hint, hint to Sun brass, I like writing this column) semi-annual report cards.

Before assessing the performance of the mayor and his team, we should make note of what has not happened. Council has not split into the various factions that several observers - yours truly amongst them - predicted just six short months ago. Differences between the city and suburban or rural councillors have not surfaced. Left-right divisions on council have mostly been invisible. And a predicted large schism between Francophone and Anglophone councillors on the bilingual policy issue was as reliable as a 1-800 late-night psychic line.

With no time to waste and 750 words left, let's get to it. Starting at the top, Mayor Bob Chiarelli gets a B plus.

No I haven't gone soft, but based on the criteria of visibility, issue ownership and effectiveness, the mayor has fared well. He has dominated media coverage for most local issues.

The tax rate reduction and smart growth summit will both be attributed to his office. And he has effectively stymied debate around the council table.

From the smoking bylaw to the bilingualism policy to the tax rate reduction, the mayor has come out on top and is relatively unscathed. The more effective voices from previous councils have been content to sit silent and take the mayor's cue.

But the mayor's grade has probably plateaued. We are yet to see any savings from amalgamation, staff reduction plan or movement to address Ottawa's infrastructure challenges. And the long-term negative impacts from Mr. Chiarelli's three-month spat with the province earlier this year are still to ripple through our city.

The councillors: Herb Kreling (Orleans) gets a C. In person he is affable, well spoken and well informed. He has regional council experience and currently chairs the police services board. But he has not emerged a strong voice for east end issues and seems content to go through the motions at this point.

Rainer Bloess (Innes) gets a B. A good, common sense fiscally-minded councillor who performed well during his time on Gloucester council. Time will tell if he can emerge as a rallying point for fiscal issues and on some files, as a counterbalance to the mayor.

Jan Harder (Bell-South Nepean) gets a B minus. Another good, common sense councillor with experience from Nepean council. Was vocal on the bilingualism policy issue and shows plenty of promise for future impact.

Alex Munter (Kanata) gets a B. While I personally disagree with Alex on many issues, he is articulate and well-informed with his point of view. He also has a knack for sniffing out cameras and microphones (a skill I professionally admire) on a variety of issues. Presently chairs the health, recreation and social Services Committee. Rumoured to be interested in the mayor's job in 2003 or 2006. Opponents have tagged him as more-money Munter.

Dwight Eastman (West Carleton), Janet Stavinga (Goulbourn), Glenn Brooks (Rideau) will not receive grades. Not because they don't work hard, but because I have not followed their work closely enough to be fair. Ditto for Doug Thompson (Osgoode), who chairs the agriculture & rural affairs committee and Diane Deans (Gloucester-Southgate) who chairs the emergency and protective services committee.

Alex Cullen (Bay) gets a B. He does his homework, is a stickler on procedure (a good thing) and loves to belabour issues (a bad thing). He has chosen his moments to speak on issues and will be happy chairing the city's property task force on assessment and tax issues this fall.

Rick Chiarelli (Baseline) gets a C plus. A nice enough fellow who brings a strong protect the old Nepean stance to the council table. But he will need to move beyond this one-trick pony and scope out another issue soon.

Gord Hunter (Knoxdale-Merivale) gets a B minus. He is the chair of the planning and development committee and is a no-nonsense guy who understands numbers quite well. Sadly, his once principled opposition to light rail has vanished. The same can be said for Michel Bellemare (Beacon Hill -Cyrville) who also receives a B minus. He serves as chair of the audit committee.

Madeleine Meilleur (Rideau-Vanier), chair of the transportation and transit committee, and Jacques Legendre (Rideau-Rockliffe), both get a C. While members of the Francophone caucus, on most issues they have not been seen.

Elizabeth Arnold (Somerset) takes home a C plus in her first six months. Like Alex Munter, I probably disagree with her more than I agree, but she does her research and is a tireless promoter for the Plant Bath, traffic calming (can you say annoying humps and bumps?) and downtown quality-of-life issues.

Shawn Little (Kitchissippi), despite, in my opinion, mean-spirited and spurious campaign expense irregularity allegations, for the most part, sees the big picture and leans to the right. He is worthy of a B grade.

Wendy Stuart (River) is much like councillors Bloess and Harder, no nonsense and is well versed on environmental issues. Her report card has a C.

Clive Doucet (Capital), although well-meaning, receives the lowest mark, a D. Another traffic calming fan, and unabashed Queen's Park hater and light rail fan. He represents a significant component of his ward, but there's more to Ottawa than the Glebe.

Down the home stretch Peter Hume (Alta Vista), gets a C minus. He was once seen as fiscal conservative hope for council but his jump on the bandwagon and bash the province and the transition board performance this spring infuriated many local conservatives. Nonetheless, three years is a long time to recover and Hume does understand council table politics quite well. He also chairs the environmental services committee.

Back out east, Phil McNeely (Cumberland) gets a C. He is the only true rookie councillor around the table and is working hard on the volunteer firefighters issue. On the downside, he is on the opposite side of the east end bridge issue from local MPP Brian Coburn which could cause friction on other fronts.

All in all, a less-than-stellar performance by councillors. Many must become more vocal and effective over the next six months. Like your teacher probably told your parents during parent-teacher night … there is plenty of room for improvement.