We’ve fielded numerous calls this week from voters and candidates worried silly about this fall’s election. But the silence in most communities is disconcerting.
Some callers are for the current council members and mayors, while others hope to see some change in faces around the horseshoe. Others yet, desperately wish other options were available. It just goes to show it’s hard to please everybody all the time.
Those temperaments reflect a larger sentiment that exists across the province and, arguably, into other parts of Canada and the United States. The citizens are restless and the silence surrounding this particular election has an eerie feel to it.
A good friend was travelling through much of southwestern Ontario and he tells us most communities had election signs shouting “change” as a slogan. As we suggested a few weeks ago, voters had better be sure what it is they think they are getting – because far too many times in the past they have ended up with a pig in a poke from the agents of change. Efforts by citizens at candidate nights to uncover action plans or the lack of one have not netted positive answers. That is troubling.
Many times over our years covering politics, what made great fodder on the campaign trail soon subsides as the newly installed councillors accept what they had decried. Public buildings like arenas and community centres have brought down more than one sitting councillor or mayor, only to be opened weeks later with grins and smiles by the candidate who opposed the project. Oral campaign promises quickly become forgotten – causing us to wonder if some candidate’s version of change is simply a change on the council cheque, where it says “pay to the order of…..” Let’s face it, the rates of pay now make a council seat a pretty sweet deal.
Promises to move along staff and cut expenses will require a slate of councillors to be elected. To believe for a moment an individual mayor or councillor can make that kind of change a reality is pretty naive. Under the ward system, the ability to elect a crew of cost cutters is next to impossible, leaving the very real possibility that a frustrating time lies ahead for people voted in on a platform of cost reduction. Without other councillors’ support, it will be an exercise in futility.
For four municipalities, namely Minto, Centre Wellington, Mapleton, and Erin the contest that just started will soon end. Mail–in ballots for those communities are in the mail this Friday. With the flick of a wrist, choices can be made prior to the campaign period ending. What happens between now and Oct. 25 if information comes to light that has a bearing on a voter’s decision? There is no retraction once a vote has been cast and popped in the mail. Voters not entirely sure about their choice would be wise to hang on a bit before submitting their ballots.
We do not mean to be overly critical of candidates for change. There are actually some very good candidates with new ideas, and if better ways are to be found for advancing the good of the municipalities, we are all for that. It is just critical that their platforms be transparent and subject to scrutiny.
As for incumbents, and the restless nature of constituents, this is a time to listen closely and appreciate the message we believe underlies the silent treatment. Voters are feeling squeezed at all ends. The imposition of the HST, local property taxes that seem to climb automatically each year, the massive debts being accrued federally and provincially have all made voters wonder when that will end.
Perhaps some close calls for incumbents and some fresh blood will bring in a period of at least second guessing what it is voters want in the way of services and what they deem reasonable to pay. Wise councils would spend some time working with staff to make even better uses of resources and refine the core business of local governments.
