By Chris Clarke
Coupling political parties with city council elections will end municipal politics as we know it, Somerset Ward Coun. Elisabeth Arnold says.
“The ability to have flexibility to work with people across the political spectrum and not be locked into party discipline is absolutely critical,” Arnold says.
Her comments came on the heels of Bay Ward Coun. Alex Cullen’s remarks last week which promoted the merging of city council candidates with political parties to heighten the municipal election’s profile.
Cullen is worried voter turnout for the municipal election will be less this year than the election of 2000 when 47 per cent went to polls. So far this year, there’s been no debate between any of the eight mayoral candidates and none involving current mayor Bob Chiarelli. Ottawa voters go to the polls Nov. 10.
Cullen says party politics will allow candidates — especially those with limited means — to run better campaigns through access to political party resources like volunteers, voter lists and fundraising expertise. Since parties run on platforms, Cullen says voters would better know what they’re voting for instead of dealing with constant shifting alliances of city councillors.
But Arnold says the ability of councillors to form different coalitions on an issue-by-issue basis is key to municipal politics.
Cullen expects parties to come into city council within 10 to 15 years.
“We already have councillors grouping themselves left and right and [citizen’s] groups endorsing certain councillors,” he says. Vancouver, Quebec City and Montreal have adopted political parties in city elections, and U.S. municipal politics are linked with the Republican and Democratic parties.
Caroline Andrew, a University of Ottawa political science professor specializing in municipal governments, says most academics agree that municipal governments should run with political parties.
All three agree that a significant public groundswell would be necessary to change the current system, but recent polls show the public holds a low opinion of party politics especially at the federal level.
However, Andrew says introducing political parties doesn’t necessarily mean running under established parties such as the Liberals, but forming new, locally-centred civic parties.
The growth of cities such as Ottawa is a major reason parties should be included in municipal elections, she says.
Andrew says municipal government is linked to certain values; most prominently, accessibility and efficiency. The ability to access city councillors will become more difficult as the number of voters rise.
So will the issues affecting the city as a whole, she says.
A majority government within city council would have the ability to take the city in new directions, Andrew says. But she acknowledges the fears of political observers that councillors could become tied to party discipline instead of voters’ needs.
“It must be balanced with a central direction for the city which would be facilitated by having political parties,” Andrew says. “Municipal politicians seem to like making up their minds on issues on a day by day basis . . . it neglects the overall vision of a city.”
In addition, as cities continue to grow, their political importance will rise, according to Andrew.
“There will be a growing debate over the importance of cities as political powers,” Andrew said. Political parties would be essential if cities want to assume greater importance within intergovernmental affairs because it would streamline political interests between the provincial and federal parties with city parties.