On civic election night in Yorkton, incumbent mayor Bob Maloney posted a comment on Facebook just before midnight, in response to a message from a supporter. He said something to the effect of, “I’m not sure what happened.”
Similar puzzled sentiments were also expressed by many a year ago, when a novice Liberal leader with a famous name but little else going for him became prime minister.
And that same feeling screamed across media, both traditional and social, on election night in the USA.
What happened in all three cases, not to mention the British vote to leave the European Union, was a statement at the ballot box by people who felt they had no control, were not being listened to, and wanted to send a clear message that the status quo isn’t acceptable.
Harper paid the price, the British economy will pay the price, and who knows what will happen south of the border.
But if Mayor Bob isn’t sure of what happened, let me suggest a few possibilities.
1. The last council had been around too long. And when that’s the case, two things happen: council becomes complacent, and people will vote out incumbents, even if they have done an okay job. Ten to 12 years seems to be the maximum tolerance; we see it time after time in federal, provincial and municipal elections. If elected people choose to overstay their welcome, the voters will show them the door. Few seem to be smart enough to quit on their own, because power is mesmerizing.
2. The last council was seen as low-key, and uninspiring. It chose easy solutions. Issues that mattered to voters were treated somewhat dismissively. Nice people, but complacency is always ends up being punished by voters.
3. The last council did not reflect the new demographics of Yorkton. The city has changed. A new generation now dominates the business community, the professions, the social circles. And it wants its voice heard. The last council was chronologically on the older side. There comes a time when well-meaning older people need to recognize it is time to step aside and let a younger generation take over. I was on council with all but one of the members of the last council, and I called it quits about eight years ago!
4. The last council was not seen to be in control. The one constant, day to day and year to year, in any government operation is the staff, the bureaucracy. That is a reality, and a necessity. But the priorities of the city, and as importantly the tone, the attitude needs to be set by council. Councils tend to spend too much time talking about what is being done, and spend too much time talking about what is being done, and spend too little time discussing how it should be done, and setting the culture of the organization. Left to the bureaucrats, that culture will be bureaucratic.
While all of this may sound harsh, there is no arguing that the last council did some good work, especially in the costly area of infrastructure renewal. But ask the question, “What happened?” and this is how I see it.
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