Incumbents and insider trading

Ah, the trials and tribulations of being on the outside of the municipal political process, trying to get in.
The odds are stacked against you in so many ways.
Just ask Peter Ferreira or Brian Hurley or Don Barber, all of whom have complained during the current campaign that they don’t always get a fair shake from the process.
Ferreira is weighing whether or not he should attend Monday night’s all-candidates’ meeting being hosted by the Rockwood Homeowners’ Association (7 p.m. at Sts. Martha and Mary School), because, “I’m afraid I’m being set up.”
The chief challenger of incumbent Ward 3 Councillor Maja Prentice (municipal class of ’85), the current chair of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board feels, “that there’s going to be sabotage on behalf of the incumbent councillor.”
He bases his fears on the fact that his e-mail of several weeks ago asking about the format of the meeting was never answered and the “unfair billing” challengers got on the 3,000 flyers that went out advertising the event.
Under the headline Do You Want a Say in Shaping Mississauga’s Future?, Mayor Hazel McCallion and Prentice are mentioned in bold-face type as being in attendance, “along with other candidates seeking office.” The names of those in the “other” category are enumerated in much smaller type at the bottom, where the incumbents are listed again.
“Why do they get top billing, as if they need the attention?” asks the Ward 6 Catholic trustee. “Am I being paranoid?”
Yes, according to Rockwood Homeowners’ president Boris Swedak who says no slight was intended. The incumbents were listed higher simply because they currently represent the area. “There was no thought to any advantage. I think Peter is out of line,” said Swedak, a 33-year employee of the City’s public works department prior to his retirement.
Ferreira is also upset that McCallion appears in several pictures on Prentice’s campaign literature when the mayor strenuously objected to Ferreira using a photo of him and the mayor together from a library opening (he is the former Library Board chair) on his literature three years ago.
Ward 2 council candidate Hurley wasn’t invited to the West Erindale Homeowners’ Association annual general meeting (AGM) last night, but he went anyway as a guest of a member and sat in the front row while incumbent Pat Mullin spoke of current issues at City Hall. Hurley admits that Mullin did not give a campaign speech, “although she was on the very edge a couple of times.”
Hurley had asked to attend but was told by Peter di Scola of the association in an e-mail that, “We invite guest speakers who are part of the existing fabric of the neighbourhood and who can shed light on issues pertinent to us. We do not hold
forums for political purposes and although it may seem unfair to you to not have opportunity to speak at our agm, especially at a time so close to an election, I trust you understand, we as an Association do not favour any one candidate and are totally neutral politically.”
Maybe so, but the perception of bias is unmistakable.
Randy Skakun, head of the Cooksville-Munden Park Homeowners says it intentionally holds its AGM in May to try to avoid any hint of favouritism. If an AGM is scheduled during the campaign period, Skakun suggests an all-candidates should be added on to it. Makes good sense.
Sherway Homeowners recently held their 30th anniversary celebrations to which the mayor and the sitting councillor were invited. Mayoralty candidate Don Barber wanted to crash the party but was denied. Irene Gabon of the association says it was largely a social occasion for volunteers and the politicians who have served the area over the years and was not political.
Perhaps so, but couldn’t it have been held after the election?
Holding meetings mid-campaign and only inviting incumbents smacks too much of insider trading.
Besides, it’s not good politics. Sometimes, even in no-surprise Mississauga, you could theoretically wake up the morning after the election and find out you have a new councillor — who has a bone to pick with your ratepayer group.

Comments

[irene Gabon]

John having reviewed tha latest on the Municipal election and candidates and comments I personally would rather see more of that than of Barber.... more constructive.... here is a question for you that I have been asked re Campaign 2006 and that is "How come City is advertising in the Toronto Star, twice already on past Thursdays and am expecting another one this Thursday 9th November,.... a page and a half in colour albeit pastel wonder why it is in the Star's GTA section ... do not see any other Municipalities advertising. SO am taking bets.... pierogi and cabbage roll dinner on me courtesy of Starsky's WHAT % will vote in this Municipal Election???

[Walt]

Regarding Peter Ferreira's complaints about Maja Prentice's brochure: I don't speak on behalf of Maja, but I took a look at her brochure and saw two pictures which included the Mayor. Both were pictures of ground-breaking ceremonies which are typically attended by incumbents. One picture showed the Mayor and three other councillors, besides Maja. Surely no one would think that this would be an "endorsement" of Maja by these three other councillors, or vice versa? They were simply present at the same event. The other picture showed Maja and Hazel at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new business in Ward 3, along with members of the family who operate the business. This is surely not an endorsement by anyone, it is simply an illustration that the councillor is involved in the community.

Ferreira should get over it. He has his own opportunities to post pictures from his service on the Library Board, and the Catholic School Board.

[The Mississauga Muse]

Yep. Me again.

John, GREAT noises!

re: Challengers chances of beating municipal Incumbents, you wrote:

"The odds are stacked against you in so many ways. Just ask Peter Ferreira or Brian Hurley or Don Barber, all of whom have complained during the current campaign that they don’t always get a fair shake from the process."

I agree with them.

Next, you wrote:

"Holding meetings mid-campaign and only inviting incumbents smacks too much of insider trading."

Yep. Incumbents Happen.

Time for a confession.

I've been real slow-on-the-take and it's only taken me 10 months to figure out the #1 ADVANTAGE Incumbents have over Challengers.

You, yourself, John pointed it out.

CONTENT. Yes, CONTENT.

Few people in Mississauga can say they've attended all Ward debates, listened to all Ward candidate clips on Rogers as I have --I even watched the Saturday Rogers telecast of the Ward 7 Mayoral debates (meaning I sat through them twice)!

My conclusion?

If Mississauga is any indication, municipal Incumbents are tough to topple because they have

CONTENT.

Get this. You can limit campaigning to only answering public questions while candidates are concealed inside cardboard boxes.

INCUMBENTS offer SPECIFIC CONTENT.

I've lost count of the number of challengers at the Rogers site whose speeches are limited to complaining about this-and-that and how the future of Mississauga needs improvement.

IT'S LIKE LISTENING TO MY NEIGHBOUR KVETCHING!

I wouldn't vote for my neighbour, why would I vote for someone not offering SPECIFICS and CONTENT?

The Incumbent Advantage is the Incumbent him/herself --a cardboard box would prove it.

So. We're doomed.

Last, John, you wrote:

"Sometimes, even in no-surprise Mississauga, you could theoretically wake up the morning after the election and find out you have a new councillor — who has a bone to pick with your ratepayer group."

Agreed. Theoretically. Then again, theoretically, I could wake up the morning after the election, ceiling fan overhead, and knowing I've been teleported to Hawaii.

Signed,
The (Oh *groan* how I WISH!) Mississauga Muse

[irene Gabon]

This is a non answer. We held a party to celebrate an anniversary and we invited people who shared 30 years of experiences with us. Does not matter that it was held in an election year, , Barber may even object if an event was held in a regular year or a leap year. Poor sport Barber because we didn't invite you. Is this what your Blog is all about John, get this guy off your web pages he contributes nothing and I mean a big ZERO!

[Olive Rose Steele]

Incumbents and Insider Trading? How about manditory Candidates Debate in every Ward

Jon, Its a real shame that Ward 6 will not have a Candidate Debate(Ward 6 is the ward within which I am running for Councillor). Erindale-Woodlands Community Association confirmed with me last week that they will not be hosting one.
As I knock on doors in Ward 6, residents ask me about my stance on issues, they make observations, and seek clarifications. It is a dis-service to residents that they will not be able to hear their candidates debate burning issues.

A candidate should not be allowed to slide through on a name recognition.