OTTAWA CITIZEN (EARLY) Why run with no chance of winning? Joanne Chianello, Ottawa Citizen Running for office requires an obscene amount of work. It often means putting offfamily and friends, fending off competitors attacks and dealing with the pesky media, all while trying to raise money and convince people to put their trust in you. The whole process devours a huge amount of life energy. Considering how demanding it is to stand for election, why on Earth would anyone with absolutely no chance of winning do it? I accept that my chance of winning is low, says Ottawa Centre Green party candidate Kevin ODonnell. But hes in the race to shine light on issues other candidates wont - or cant. I have the boon and the burden of running in Ottawa Centre that always collects good candidates, says ODonnell. When I debate my opponents, I know Im debating smart people. I suspect that they often agree with me but just cant say it. For example, as a school board trustee, NDP candidate Jennifer McKenzie supported a motion to merge the public and Catholic school boards. Thats not an issue McKenzie is promoting during this election, likely as its not part of the NDP platform. We are not afraid to talk about road tolls and congestion charges as one of the key pillars in affording transit over the next 25 years, says ODonnell. The other three parties refuse to take that bold step. On issues like that, some people say, Youre only able to say those things because youre not going to win. I would say theres still value in forcing the other three parties to explain why they wont talk about it. On Tuesday, ODonnell accosted Progressive Conservative contender Robert Dekker - on video - about whether the Tory agrees with Carleton-Mississippi Mills candidate Jack MacLarens recent statement that man-made climate change is a hoax. Clearly not wanting to publicly disagree with another PC candidate, the badgered Dekker (a dedicated long-shot himself ) did say he believed people have responsibility for what we do to the Earth. This sort of metaphoric poking is one of the ways such outside candidates as ODonnell can add to the discourse. But through grinding patience, as ODonnell puts it, they can also garner enough support to pressure other parties into picking up their policies. Consider that in 2007 the Greens picked up eight per cent of the popular vote, while the Ottawa Centre candidate garnered an impressive 12 per cent. But in 2011, the Green vote tanked, largely because supporters shifted to the Liberals and their renewable-energy platform. While no Green MPPs were elected, many considered the outcome a political success. Short of winning, having the ability to be a queen-or kingmaker has an influence, said ODonnell. I can go around with my 2,200 votes and say, Would you like these next time? This is not an endorsement of the Green candidate or his party. But in an era when many people cannot bother to vote, its inspiring to see people such as ODonnell and others like him so dedicated to their ideals of how to make society better that theyd mount full political campaigns. This sort of whole-hog engagement in the democratic process is especially impressive when you consider how egocentric politics can be. Its hard to imagine many of us being pleased that our competitors appropriate our ideas without our getting any credit, let alone glory. And thats not to say that ODonnell and his ilk wouldnt like some recognition. But theyre not expecting any, and thats not why theyre involved. When ODonnell recently found a significant loophole in a city document, he took the time out of his workday to point it out to the finance committee. Eventually, a technical amendment was made to the report. Someone listened to me, ODonnell said. That was the only concrete proof that I have that I made a change. Its not got my name attached to it, but I will know. And thats good enough. jchianello@ottawacitizen twitter/jchianello © 2014 Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 17:00:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015