Ottawa is burning up with municipal election fever. Maybe not burning up. Sweltering? No. Lukewarm? Maybe. Truth be told, the political climate surrounding the Ottawa municipal election is scarcely a gentle breeze.
Somerset Ward constituents have their hands full with deciding among seven candidates vying for the council seat being vacated by Elisabeth Arnold.
Seven candidates. Seven different personalities. Seven platforms and seven different kinds of posters littering city streets.
With the rush of people seeking political office, many of whom are novice politicians, one would think that the streets of Centretown would be alive with political debate over the barrage of new ideas. Instead, the current municipal election has been as invisible as money in the city’s bank account.
The only reason many people are aware that an election is looming is the parade of cardboard posters haunting their daily commutes.
Aside from a little door-knocking, some posters and a few newspaper ads, why have the candidates not been able to play a more prominent game of “Who Wants to Represent a Ward?”
What happened to all-candidates’ forums? While candidates in other wards have been confronted by constituents for a number of weeks, Somerset Ward electors had to wait until almost the last minute for one poorly advertised all-candidates’ forum. Too little, too late. Where were the community associations that normally organize these events? Perhaps, with Diane Holmes in the race, they felt the election in Somerset Ward was a foregone conclusion and there was no need for a forum. Maybe yes. Maybe no. But that’s not really the point. Every candidate is entitled to be heard by voters and other candidates.
More than any other level of government, the decisions made in city council directly affect the daily lives of people. Community groups should have been eager to host all-candidate forums to get their neighbours more informed about the people who will be representing them for the next four years.
With such little public debate, the election in Somerset has been reduced to a beauty pageant. Voters will be forced to base their decision on election posters and catch phrases rather than real issues.
Municipal politics embody the principles of grassroots politics. Candidates do not need a lengthy political history in order to be elected, they just need to feel passionate about their community and be inspired to promote change.
Municipal politics should be bustling with excitement, with people inspired to run because they want to shake up the system. City councils are the breeding ground for future politicians but their views are more accessible to voters because their policies are not burdened by the party affiliation which dominates higher levels of government.
So on election day, will people be voting for the candidate who best represents their views or the one who looks best in a bikini?
—Carly Stagg