However, a
closer examination of the numbers suggest that the interest is greater for the
Mayor and the At-Large Councillors.
Compared to the 2014 election, the number of candidates for Mayor is up
from 6 to 11 – a 83 percent increase while the number seeking at At-Large
position grew from 19 to 26 – an increase of 37 percent. However, those seeking a Ward Councillor
position fell from 26 to 24 – an 8 percent drop. On the bright side, numbers for both the
Lakehead and Separate Boards were also up from 2014.
What is
interesting is how the numbers changed from early in July when the story was all
about how the number of candidates was down considerably from the previous
election. It appears that all the
hand-wringing about a lack of candidates was for naught as numbers increased
quite rapidly for the At-Large race and four wards- Current River, Red River, McIntyre
and Neebing. As the accompanying figure
shows, over the course of the last three weeks of the nomination period the
number of candidates for At-Large position rose from five to 15 and then
reached 26. The candidates for Current
River grew from one to two and then reached four. McIntyre grew from one to three and Red River
from two to three. As for Neebing, it
acquired four additional entrants on the very last day preventing the
acclamation of the incumbent. On the
other hand, the Mayor’s race rose from 8 to 11 despite one of the candidates
leaving the race and choosing to run
At-Large, perhaps exhibiting a preference for wanting to rule in hell rather
than serve in heaven.
Some may
interpret this as a sign that Thunder Bay needs to get rid of the wards and
simply have At-Large candidates. However,
I think the relative lack of interest in the ward positions is because they are
more work as the ward councilor is often the lead contact for complaints from
ratepayers and voters when something goes awry in the ward. At-Large Councillors have no specific ward
responsibility and can hide from specific ward related issues if they choose to
and at the same time roam the city picking and choosing issues and projects
that appeal to them.
There are
two mains reasons for going with an all-ward as opposed to an all at-large
system. First, municipal government is
about services to local property and there needs to be a clear demarcation of
geographic areas with someone responsible for services and issues in that
area. A ward-based representative is
more attuned to grass roots concerns. Side stepping that argument with the
claim that At-Large councilors represent everybody is really an excuse for
them to represent nobody in particular.
Second, having At-Large councilors essentially amounts to having
mini-mayors and the costs of campaigning when everyone is At-Large will quickly
approximate those of running for mayor putting self-funded candidates at more
of a disadvantage. Ward campaigns are
generally cheaper to run and a greater variety of candidates emerge. Indeed, one can argue that councils elected
by a ward system will have a greater diversity of representatives in terms of
socio-economic background than a council elected At-Large.
Some might
argue that in Thunder Bay you need only At-Large councilors because they keep
the interests of the entire city in mind while ward councilors are too
neighborhood focused and parochial. To that I would say it is not 1970
anymore. The At-Large/Ward hybrid system
is a pretty unique one and the result of the old urban rivalry between Port
Arthur and Fort William at the time of Amalgamation. Thunder Bay is nearly 50 years old and ward
councilors are able to address both the needs of their neighborhoods as well
as the needs of the entire city and do so by being democratically accountable
to a given geographically based set of local constituents. In the end, municipal government is about
services to local property and having ward representatives is the best way to
keep councilors accountable to ratepayers.
I think the
next City Council should seriously consider reforming the system, but they
should go to one that is entirely ward based with 8 ward councilors plus a
Mayor. The boundaries of the new wards
should be designed to encompass approximately 11,000-13,000 people each and to
change things up they should simply be numbered wards. The Council elected this October will be in
office for 2020 – the 50th anniversary of Amalgamation and the
creation of Thunder Bay. This should be
an opportunity to celebrate Thunder Bay as well as use the milestone as an
opportunity to revisit the original institutional arrangements.