"He was occasionally taken to task over his lack of experience". You have a few years now to prove them wrong, or face getting the boot next election from angry voters. Good luck. And I think you're slightly naive if you think someone will employ you and think 'fantastic, one of our employees is a councillor, take as much time off as you need for town hall meetings'. You'll find most bosses want you to come and work for them, everything else is something you do after work hours. But like I said, good luck.