Bob Hepburn writes in this morning’s Toronto Star that political parties should be allowed to contest municipal elections. (Click "Read more" below) 

I agree.

The Province bans political parties from fielding candidates in municipal elections peddling the fiction that all candidates are independents, untainted by political ideology who just want the best for their patch.

In the race to succeed John Tory as Mayor of Toronto Hepburn says 

“…most people will cast their ballots based more on sheer name recognition rather than where the candidates stand on critical issues or where they lie on the right-left spectrum.”

Hepburn goes on:

“The arguments for municipal parties are convincing. If the candidates were allied with established parties, we would better understand where they fit into the bigger picture for Toronto.

There would be party platforms, providing voters with vital information about candidates to better help them make their choices. Voter turnout, traditionally pathetic for local elections, could potentially increase. Parties help to recruit candidates and finance their campaigns, which could lead to greater diversity of serious candidates.”

Collapsing turnout

In a blog posted a few days before the last municipal election on 24 October in Newmarket I predicted that two-thirds of people wouldn’t vote. That was a big under-estimate.

In the event, turnout in the Town was a lamentable 24%. 

Political parties – or newly created local parties - just might drive up voter turnout. 

My experience of running for election locally last October only reinforces my view that things have got to change if we are to get people interested and engaged in local politics.  The indifference and ignorance on the doorstep about municipal government and how it works was a real eye-opener.

I spent a lot of time talking to people. There was no rosette on my lapel to give voters a rough idea of my politics. I had to start from scratch explaining a bit about myself and why I was running. And then taking questions. Ten minutes at a doorstep was not unusual.

Raising the cash to campaign

There are very real disincentives running for election as an “independent”. For a start, you’ve got to raise large sums of money. 

When I ran for Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor the rules allowed me to spend a truly colossal $57,153.35 on my campaign. My self-funding limit (the amount my spouse and I could spend on the campaign using our own money) was an eye-watering $17,241.40. In the event I only spent a small fraction of what was allowable.

But these huge sums of money would deter most people from throwing their hat into the ring. The alternative is to campaign on a shoe-string and hope for good local coverage in the press and media and an effective performance in the election debates (if there are any).

Heavy lifting

Political Parties get a bad press (often for good reasons) but they do the heavy lifting for candidates. They provide the finance and the support.

They would allow people to run for Mayor or Deputy Mayor (where the campaign limits are highest) without breaking the bank. (But if people want to run as independents there's nothing to stop them.)

Like-minded people could set up local parties to contest elections. Let’s say… “Newmarket First”. Candidates running under that banner would have a common set of priorities which they would present to the public, sharing campaign expenses and raising money as a local Party.

But if this is to work, political parties would have to reinvent themselves as local campaigning organisations. Identifying issues that people feel strongly about and offering solutions.

Hollowed out

And that is a big ask. Too many are atrophied and hollowed out with tiny memberships, leaving it to their MPs or MPPs (if they have one) to be their public face.

At their best, political parties shape the agenda and have a long institutional memory. When everyone else has forgotten the details of a crisis or local calamity or misjudgement, they can remember what happened and why. They can also bring in new blood, encourage younger people to get involved, and mentor those who might wish to run for office one day.

I had to run as an independent last October because the system wouldn’t allow anything else.

Silly system.

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