By Jim Mauro
THUNDER BAY – OPINION – It is election year in Thunder Bay, and I am joining the field to run for Mayor.
I know what some of you are thinking. I ran and didn’t win before so why now for the big seat. Last election a new candidate was almost elected Mayor, and we have two declared candidates running who have never been elected so my odds are the same. And given the number of names that will soon announce, my plan is to come up the middle while everyone else splits the vote. I am going for the bald vote.
Of course, that announcement is a joke but who we elect as Mayor is not. So, what are you the voter supposed to do when they come knocking? I do have a few suggestions, but first, a quick comment from an article that James Murray, creator and owner of this site, wrote recently about our upcoming elections.
It was his comment on what is important to be elected. Not policy or specific commitments to the electorate but making sure you are involved in community groups that provide you the candidate, a base of support to bring with you on election day. He was not wrong.
But what exactly does sitting on a Board, have to do with running for a seat on Council or for Mayor? Because you sat on a volunteer board to save the “spotted owl”, this somehow prepares you to run a city with a $500 million dollar plus budget? This somehow prepares you to make decisions that can have ramifications for decades? To me, this speaks to how bad voting has become across the political spectrum. This is not meant to disparage all people on all Boards. Many do very important work, but I believe running for council brings different challenges
I did consider putting my name in for Mayor. Not to seriously run as I don’t think I would have a chance, but to simply be on the debate stage with the other candidates and hopefully shine a light on the lack of any substance to statements made by many people looking for your vote. For a debate on policy, I have no problem going toe to toe with others. It does not mean I am right, but certainly I would not sit there while another candidate avoided a question or whose answer was far from reality.
Last election, I made the mistake of thinking that policy mattered. That policies on tax rates, infrastructure and crime would assist in securing votes. It didn’t work even though I was happy with my result in a very crowded field.
Besides, we already had one Mayor with my last name and if you will forgive my bias, he did incredibly well. We need someone else with my brother’s ability to look beyond next week when deciding issues. We need people who can analyze a problem, consider multiple outcomes and determine a course of action that is in the best long-term interest of the city, not just today. Watching council over the decades, I do not often see that kind of discussion. They recently spent close to an hour talking about snakes!
Being on the debate stage is also meaningless in our city. Few pay attention, our mainstream media barely covers them and they are poorly attended. Why point out that a candidate is refusing or incapable of answering a question if few are there to hear it. Tiny little debates held by specific groups rarely provide the necessary answers to complex issues.
Could we organize a REAL Mayoral debate, moderated properly to prevent 3-minute questions from the audience and push back against candidates that dance around answering a question. I would have no problem saying on a debate stage, the question was about issue X and was not answered so I will give the other candidates a chance to answer. A real debate that would hopefully illicit real answers from those wanting to lead and govern.
Quick story. In one debate for MPP, the accusations were flowing fast and furious at my brother, with no basis in fact. People shrug this off to just politics, instead of what it really is. A lack of media scrutiny and an electorate that is not following the candidates misleading remarks.
So, my brother decided to counter punch and ask the candidate to provide a name of any company that met the criticism he was pushing forward. For 15 seconds there was silence. My brother asked again. No response. It should have been the end of that campaign. The accusations were baseless. That should have been the lead story in our media. Instead, it did not even get mentioned. Every news report during an election should be; “is what I am reporting important to a voter in deciding who or who not to vote for”. Period. Locally it most often isn’t.
I put out policy statements throughout the last campaign, that were not covered by any media outlet except this one. The answer I received was “then we would have to cover everyone”. YES. That is what you do because it forces candidates to put forward some kind of platform for people to analyze, discuss and perhaps even challenge. That is helping the voter make an informed decision.
One candidate for Mayor last election was asked a question about two proposed facilities, totalling 120 million dollars. In the two minutes provided to answer, they didn’t mention either building. You would think one of the other candidates, the media or the moderator would have pointed that out. You would be wrong.
What can you do to ensure those seeking your vote are prepared for the job? Well, I have a couple of suggestions/questions. These are simply mine; I am sure you would have your own.
For those currently on Council, because if you have been on there for multiple terms, it is more than fair to ask you all of these questions and we the voter should expect direct answers:
Can you show me what proposal you put forward to deal with crime in our city? Most will tell you that it is not up to City Council, an answer that not only is morally wrong but is void of reality. There are no cops on the street and crime is terrible while council sits there like they have no role to play.
I would ask what their plan is to deal with our infrastructure deficit and ask why it has grown during their time on Council?
I would ask if they had any plans at all to reduce expenditures at City Hall and if so, what are they.
I would ask if they had a specific goal in mind for tax increases in the first two years of the next term, given that this council raised taxes 11% in their first two years. No one voted for that. I proposed 2.5% in the first year.
I would ask if they would move an initiative to have all votes of council recorded and published online so the voter can see how each council member has voted on every issue. Seems simple enough. Why would anyone be afraid for the voter to see clearly how their representatives voted?
On the homeless issue, I would ask what they have specifically done, to ensure that the province and FED’s, not the local taxpayer are paying for this. And what is their position if next year, we need another 100 homes. Should city taxes go to that need?
And a big one for all candidates: when anyone criticizes the people of this community or accuses our CITY of being racist not just some who live here, will you STAND UP and defend what I would argue is one of the kindest, most generous communities in this country. Will you do that, or do what almost all of them do, put their head down when it matters most.
Those are simply a sample of the questions I would ask. Council is not a volunteer group trying to raise money to support a kids hockey team. This is a huge corporation that needs people who can understand laws, labour issues, budgets, who do not have an agenda other than making this city better. And they are about to be paid much more in the next few years. So, if the job deserves higher pay, than there should be far greater accountability.
While on the hospital board in the late 90’s, we were presented with a 5-year wage package for non-union workers who had not received a raise for 5 years. As a labour guy, I did not find that reasonable especially after being told that supervisors were making less than those, they supervised. But scratching the surface I discovered just how misleading that information was. No supervisor was being paid less and no one else on the board noticed this.
When challenged, the individual who presented this package admitted the salary of the supervisor was higher and they could not answer one question I had. I proposed a one-year wage increase, and a hold on the other four years until we received information specific to the issue at hand. Guess how that vote went? It was about 11-2 FOR the five-year wage increase, all tied up in a bow in under 10 minutes.
A second Board debate prevented us from having a heart specialist come to the city when we did not have one. The heart specialist’s spouse practiced in the field of two other local doctors who had waiting lists that extended well over year, and the Board was concerned about their reaction/income. I said in that Board meeting: “I cannot believe we are even discussing this”. We would get a third physician in one specialty and a heart specialist when we had none. We got neither. The public was never informed.
I use the above, not as a pat on the back for myself but to show that without the proper background, things often get approved because some people in those chairs, people with good intentions can often lack the skills necessary to be effective. The crime and violence in this city are absurd. Has anyone thought that those who have sat on the Police Board over the past 2-3 decades deserve some of the blame?
I do not hold out hope that people will demand a real debate hosted by a moderator who is not afraid to call candidates to task for avoiding answers. I moderated several debates previously including one for mayor in 2000 and like to think that they provided useful information to the voter. Attendance was actually very good. Unfortunately, apathy, or the false belief that one vote does not matter, it appears that things are likely to stay the same.
At the end of the day, you decide who wins, who sits at the table and who raises your taxes. YOU DECIDE BY VOTING OR NOT VOTING. So please, take a few minutes. Look closely at those asking for your support, ask a couple of questions and see if they are prepared for the role. You are the voice that will lead this city for the next decade by your active participation, or your apathy. If you are simply voting because the name is familiar, then like a non-voter, you have nothing to complain about. Just a thought.
