Is there more interest in this year’s municipal election than usual?
If you’re judging by the lower number of acclamations, the answer is clearly yes.
There was only one acclamation for 2006, for Catholic school trustee Esther O’Toole in wards 9 and 10, her second “bye” in the last three contests.
In 2003, by contrast, there were five acclamations including one for a councillor, Katie Mahoney. In 2000, there were eight, including another for a councillor, Pat Mullin.
Mind you, before we get carried away, it’s good to remember that two days before the deadline, there were no candidates for the job as trustee for the board which is responsible for public schools for Francophone students. Of course, that is a difficult position because the board covers a huge area and there is a lot of travel involved, just to get to the board meetings. Incumbent Lise Dubois of Etobicoke, who had been acclaimed for the previous two terms, didn’t run again.
The happiest person in the city to see a candidate was Election Coordinator Pina Mancuso, who didn’t have to extend nominations past the deadline. Had no candidate signed up, an expensive bye-election could have been required.
In the end, not one but two Mississaugans put their names forward: Christine Guindy and Mark de Pelham, whom you may remember as the NDP candidate in the Mississauga South federal election earlier this year.
His campaign manager, Brian Hurley, is a candidate for Ward 2 councillor as part of what the incumbents are referring to as the “Larry Taylor slate” — newbies to municipal politics who are using this campaign as a kind of living laboratory to practice organization and strategy (and winning, if all does well.)
There were some surprises in the last-minute shuffling. Grant Ouellette dropped off his inventive campaign video for mayor, which features him interviewing a puppet named High-Rise Hazel, just before he switched to run for Ward 2 councillor. Guess the dummy told him to do it.
Even more people joined the throng for Ward 10 councillor, which now stands at 24, exceeding the field last year in the Cliff Gyles shame-a-thon. There’s always hope that a councillor starting a second term is vulnerable, so 10 are trying to knock off Eve Adams in Malton and environs, where larger fields are a tradition anyway.
Speaking of Ward 5, many expected former long-time Catholic trustee there and second-place finisher in ‘03, Rick Falco, to try to knock off Adams again. Instead, he’s switching to Art Steffler’s old ward, in 6 and 11. It’s the seat he was expected to be appointed to easily after Steffler’s death. A disastrous speech, however, prompted trustees to appoint Peter Ferreira instead. Yes, the same one who was quickly elevated to chair of the Dufferin-Peel Board and is holding a rematch in Ward 3 against incumbent Councillor Maja Prentice.
The merry-go-round never stops.
Don’t look now, but there are even two Brad MacDonalds (yes, same spelling) in the race, one for Ward 5 councillor and one the incumbent Ward 8 public school trustee.
With a shameful turnout of 19.99 per cent in 2003, there is nowhere to go but up.
We’re guaranteed of two exciting council races in Wards 6 and 10 and a minimum of four new faces on the school boards.
By Mississauga standards, where our motto seems to be Pride in the Past and Faith in Our Incumbents, this election promises to be an improvement.
Comments (2)
John, you wrote:
"Is there more interest in this year’s municipal election than usual? If you’re judging by the lower number of acclamations, the answer is clearly yes."
The answer is clearly yes at Council too, John. Yes, indeed.
September 27th Council Meeting, Mayor (Lord Love Her) McCallion announced that she was mobilizing The Corporation's Corporation Machine.
As I listened, I realized that The Corporation's Corporation Machine will really be electioneering overtime.
The Corporation's Corporation Machine's Number One Priority is to:
"get the people out to vote" (because "those that are opposed to everything will be out to vote.")
By this I inferred that The Corporation's Corporation Machine will make every effort to get THEIR people out to vote to deflect The Ingrate-Pinheads who aren't satisfied with things.
The Corporation's Corporation Machine will recruit their status-pro voters by meeting with the ratepayers' groups and in the Mayor' own words, "with Cable 10, Rogers etc". [I think Mayor McCallion's "etc" is The Mississauga News, John] to get the vote out.
The most telling comment of all was:
"We'll brief Council as soon as we have a plan so that you-folks know what is happening."
I inferred by this that Incumbents don't even have to think about their campaigns. That the entire election strategy for All Incumbents is orchestrated by and through The Corporation's Corporation Machine.
So not only do challengers have to face-off against Incumbents, (almost-impossible enough), they have to fight Incumbents ALL backed by Mayor (Lord Love Her) McCallion, The Corporation's staff AND The Corporation's resources to boot! I didn't know that before, John!
To continue. You know, Incumbents now all clearly backed by The Mayor, The Corporation's Staff and The Corporation's Corporation Machine would be impossible enough to battle.
But what I didn't know was that The Corporation has ready access to ratepayers' groups (The Corporation would know which groups have benefited most under The Corporation's planning --like the group around Port Credit Memorial Park that just had $5 million in upgrades. Those increased property values will make that group mighty grateful to The Corporation. And you can bet that the Great-Unwashed Lakeview ratepayers' group won't be among the vote that The Incumbents would want "out").
And it's not just the ratepayers' groups that The Corporation can access.
Again, I didn't know that The Corporation also has the cooperation, yes, even support of "Cable 10, Rogers, etc". .
There has been talk about going to a party system for municipal government. Based on what I've finally woken up to, there is no more powerful reason why a party system is needed than challengers (all with limited or no budgets at all) having to face such Goliaths. (I use the plural because these Davids vs. Goliaths struggles happen throughout Ontario's municipalities. Mississauga is just a bigger Goliath than most municipalities, is all.)
See, I wouldn't even mind a classic David vs Goliath struggle but Goliath has even passed numerous bylaws through its Corporation's Corporation Machine that severely limit David's ability to lob a single "stone"!
John, you wrote:
"They’re off!"
"They’re off!" all right.
And I'm OUT! I withdrew a few minutes before the Deadline. I'm content to have been the first challenger in April to scuttle Acclimation.
I've really come to like Election Coordinator Pina Mancuso. I think she looks forward to her job just for the entertainment value.
She asked me why I was pulling out.
I told her I lived in a different ward and it wasn't fair to legitimate challengers to draw potential votes away from them. I also told Pina that signing up to be a candidate was "FUN"! Like getting a political vanity plate for Free provided you withdraw in time!
I waved her good-bye and said, "See you in four years!"
I'm tellin' you John, Pina didn't skip a beat.
"I'll be here!" she said with a smile.
...and so will The Corporation's Corporation Machine.
Signed,
The (I agree with Pina. This "election" is all so amusing) Mississauga Muse
Posted by The Mississauga Muse | October 8, 2006 8:22 AM
Posted on October 8, 2006 08:22
John: love reading your blog!! Don't think you and I are ever going to retire...keep writing.
Posted by Wilma Davis | October 3, 2006 7:00 AM
Posted on October 3, 2006 07:00