Not much is likely to change in the upcoming municipal election. Incumbency is usually an advantage at any level of government, but particularly in municipal politics.
Voters, particularly in municipal elections are notoriously disengaged. In the 2012 election there were a total of 3,798 votes cast for the mayoral candidates combined, approximately 25.6 per cent of eligible voters.
One could take voter apathy as an indication the status quo is working. On the other hand, it could just as easily be evidence of cynicism.
Either way, it is a shame. Our democratic rights should not be taken for granted and there is, in fact, a lot at stake in municipal elections. In some ways it is the level of government that most affects our day-to-day lives. Just ask any business owner who has had their entire summer disrupted by road construction. Just ask any residential ratepayer who has seen tax increases three times the rate of inflation in recent years.
One organization that certainly believes the election is important is the Chamber of Commerce. It has put out a manifesto of sorts outlining “five areas of interest” it wants to see the 2016-2020 mayor and council address.
These are: transparency and financial accountability, business property taxes, the Yorkton Regional Airport, business growth (incentives) and infrastructure needs.
The Chamber, of course, is pro-business. Business people run it. It would not be doing its job if it did not advocate for and promote business interests. Everyone recognizes the importance of business to a community, but it is a much more complex issue than the myopic and debunked view that giving business people everything they want will trickle down to the general public good.
Nevertheless, the Chamber’s document is not a bad starting point for discussion.
In terms of transparency and accountability, the Chamber wants the City’s public accounts published; open debate at council meetings; and public openings of tenders for major projects. These are good measures, but moot if nobody is paying attention.
Infrastructure is always at the forefront of any election campaign and this one is no different. The Chamber identifies the Broadway corridor rebuild and new hospital as priorities. The News Review agrees Council should be focused on finding new and creative ways of funding them.
Similarly, attention to the airport is increasingly important for growth and appointing an independent board to oversee it and seek out new revenue sources makes sense. If Yorkton ever wants to be a true city, it needs to have a proper airport. The current one is an embarrassment.
Where the Chamber’s wish list starts to run the danger of being contrary to the overall public interest is in terms of taxes and incentives. It wants commercial property taxes to go down and residential to go up. It also wants a re-evaluation of the development levy and re-introduction and expansion of the Enterprise Zone Incentive Program (EZIP).
We are not necessarily opposed to these measures, but they require serious and detailed examination. The general public should be wary of the trickle down economic model on which they are based.
Property taxes should be balanced by benefits received, not some arbitrary concept of equal distribution. Businesses provide benefits to the community, but they also benefit.
A city has to not only be a place where people want to do business, but a place where people want to live. Neither should be sacrificed at the expense of the other.
We applaud the Chamber for attempting to engage voters. We encourage people to do so and get out to exercise their democratic right on October 26 for their own good and for the common good.
