Another election cycle has been completed and we welcome Scott Gillingham who replaces Brian Bowman who bows out after serving two full terms. We welcome first time Councillor Evan Duncan in Charleswood and returning Councillors Russ Wyatt in Transcona and Shawn Dobson in St. James.
I'm not sure we have seen the last of Kevin Klein or Shawn Nason and a number of others who were not successful in this civic election. In fact, Klein is already the nominated candidate running provincially for the PC's in Scott Fielding's former riding of Kirkfield Park. A byelection is due there by this December.
As far as the new mayor goes, Gillingham has filled the Executive Policy Committee with loyalists but kept his word at one fewer members. He has at least 14 positions in the mayor's office to fill and unlike Bowman who had a mix of Liberals, NDP and PCs hired, the new hires come from PC or civil service ranks and have worked with him before. Stability is the key and relationships important as we see Lukes, Chambers and Browaty on EPC.
This week Gillingham has met Premier Stefanson a few times, one for a provincial announcement on a new integrated police warrants unit to go after repeat offenders. It was the type of meetings that Bowman couldn't get. But then Pallister did not meet anyone save for demanding to meet with the prime minister to ask for more transfers even when they increased every year he was in office. He wanted them all for tax and service cuts. Stefanson is now left to deal with gutted departments and a deep distrust and unpopularity. Forging cordial and productive relationships with Mayor Gillingham could spare her government a thrashing in a year. Maybe.
The falling voter turnout numbers and acclamations points to a citizenry disengaged and apathetic about the system working for them. However, government would do well not to be smug that it doesn't matter. It could be their own supporters who stay home. For civic elections, the experience of voting has gotten easier but incumbency means that positions only open up when someone dies or leaves of their own accord. Rarely is an incumbent unseated in Manitoba. It raises the case of term limits or ranked ballots because while experience is great, if there is no change for decades, it stagnates the system.
There was a wide variety of mayoral candidates from progressive to conservative. Many had political party links to provincial of federal parties. But being a Liberal did not guarantee Liberal supported as witnessed by endorsements of Lloyd Axworthy for Gillingham or Shannon Sampert there as well. Why the endorsement? I can guess. Axworthy was former transport minister and while there are parts of the infrastructure plan he might disagree with, he probably agreed with a tax increase that was both reasonable and targeted on fixing things. For Sampert, it could have been the various indigenous groups that felt they had a partner in Gillingham. It might also been his appearances at Pride. As a former Christian pastor, he showed the aspects of faith in people that showed personal growth and a caring heart.
Small as the turnout was, it can be surmised that the voters wanted stability, a plan and credibility. The tax freeze/2.3% rise seemed to meet skepticism when Murray and Klein talked about it. It probably was because alternative funding depending on other governments or unspecified savings was hard to swallow. Gillingham also had some proposals such as Kenaston and Peguis requiring provincial and federal contributions but the public greeted the tax proposal as more realistic than other candidates.
One thing the public seemed to have no appetite for was someone who was looking to get in bun fights, culture wars or just looked like they could not work with others. Jenny Motkaluk had as much fight in her for The Forks as she did for her fellow candidates. Don Woodstock seemed to have more fight for Jenny Motkaluk than for other leading candidates. Scott Gillingham did raise the issue of Glen Murray's past record at the debate but it was after weeks of revelations by CBC that did not seem to have anything to do with springing a surprise on the former mayor.
It is unclear when the tide turned in the election and made it possible for Gillingham to win by four thousand votes, One thing is clear is that there was not a lot of polls released publicly. And too many decisions on who could participate in debates was made based on very early polls.
To the candidates who lost, the question has to be: Is the mayor's job the only one suitable for you? It seems to me that some candidates could be effective Councillors but never seem to run for that job.
As for the new mayor, crime remains a priority and he needs to keep working with the province because the Stefanson government has more levers to pull when it comes to the courts, social work, prisons, Crown prosecutors and mental health. Not to mention poverty, housing and addictions. The mayor though needs a better handle on policing.
The mandate is four years but I expect we see change early. Let's just see if a healthy dose of realism comes with it.
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