This is a response I wrote to someone supporting the General Vote who claims we get the same politicians with either ward voting or the general vote...and he names some of the “Long-In-The_Tooth” councillors and candidates as his evidence so this answer is a rebuttal to the names he brings up. “Brian Nicholson got elected in the first ward vote in 1985 and spun my bringing ward elections into his lifetime work. As ward elections led to Nicholsons political success, it is strange that he would second pidwerbeckis motion to put the general vote question on the 2006 ballot. nesters first council seat was an appointment which hes been able to spin into a 30 yr political career. Nancy I think first got elected to PUC in a general vote and then became a ward/regional councillor before becoming mayor---there is a lot of power in incumbency...John Aker was elected as a general vote politician and was on council when I brought ward elections to Oshawa in 1985....of course he came back recently as a general vote politician, based on his name recognition. The point is that ward politicians are required to have a different kind of campaign which requires a lot of energy meeting people at their doors...something the old time politicians would physically and energy-wise have a tough time doing. Recall that Mary Anne Shouldra just missed being reelected in the first return to the general vote despite the fact she had severe health problems that made it tough for her to walk up 3 or 4 stairs, had a bad attendance record, and was overlooked by council when mike Nicholson refused to take the council chair he had been elected to and the Sanders appointmernt was made by council overlooking Shouldra as even council knew that physically/intellectually she was no longer up to the task. Incumbents love the general vote because only incumbents get corporate donations and so they can hire people to put up their signs, hire literature distribution companies, pay, pay, pay while they sit comfortably in their easy chair, feet up, tv on, beer in their hand while the election swirls on all around them....and not one iota of campaigning is required----as type of campaign that just doesnt work in ward elections. Further when they get re-elected, theres no constituency work because theres not a gaggle of ward voters wanting their attention to fix community problems....and at council they dont have to worry about accountability or responsiveness to citizens concerns because they know that name recognition only and not council performance is the requirement for general vote election....and so they devote themselves to name promotion rather than work on behalf of the city. Because of the invulnerability they feel as general vote politicians, they may even invite uncover officers to a council meeting to assault and arrest citizens whose names had previously been given to the police before the council meeting....and there were a number of these irresponsible and unbelievable council actions this past term without one significant piece of positive council action being taken. Jeff....if Oshawas system was any good youd think it would be used widely across the country....in fact Oshawa stands alone in the country in using the general vote which is only suitable for small municipalities of about 20,000 pop. Oshawa is at a progress standstill until we get more accountable, responsive, and representative politicians resulting from ward elections where council performance is highlighted in getting re-elected. Vote for Ward Elections and the only mayoral candidate determined to return them to the city---Bill Longworth----“My aim is to improve the way city council works for you!” ----see votelongworth.ca
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 14:18:03 +0000
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