Municipal Election Time

It’s that time for all good little communities to elect the officials that will lead them to disaster for the next three to four years.  Admittedly, I’ve kept my nose out of this one.  As far as issues go, nothing stands out for me like last election, that of reigning in the town’s growth. And I don’t know all the players, but I’ve seen their signs. So, like any good hunter, let’s taste the spoor of the stag and see what they’re all about.

Patricia Perkins.  Present mayor looking for reelection. Last election she ran on a platform of slowing down town expansion.  I was for this.  When I moved here, Whitby was still a town, now it has the population of a small city, and all the joy that goes with it.  Did she keep her promise?  Hard to tell.  The economy took a dive, which helped her cause, but I doubt she was responsible for the global financial meltdown.  Or was she…hmm.

Marcel Brunnel. He lost to Pat Perkins.  During his tenure Whitby grew five times it’s size.  Why, because growth is good for the city. It brings in more tax dollars. Oh really. This is what I got from so much growth.  Raised water taxes to pay for all those new sewers.  Raised property taxed to pay for all that new infrastructure.  Raised blood-pressure to deal with the added traffic brought on by extra traffic lights to deal with the added traffic and on and on.

Marcel was likely a good mayor when the town was small.  He held the job for twelve years or so, but he had created a monster he couldn’t control, and we’re paying the price.

I really don’t know who convinced him to run again. Personally, I think his wife got on his back to get rid of all those old election signs in the garage, because they are the SAME SIGNS FROM LAST ELECTION.

Rocky Varcoe. Come on. Who doesn’t want a mayor named Rocky? Well, before you jump on the bandwagon consider the math.

Rocky Varcoe = Rocky V. = Rocky V, considered the worst of the Rocky movies. Rocky VI wasn’t bad, but do I want to take the chance?

Joe Drumm. A fixture on town council.  His platform is he’s Irish, he’s old, and he’s Irish. On any given issue his standard response is, “Don’t matter what we want, the province tells us what to do.”

Town growth? “Don’t matter what we want, the province tells us what to do.”

Traffic cameras? “Don’t matter what we want, the province tells us what to do.”

Curb-side parking? “Don’t matter what we want, the province tells us what to do.”

So why do we have local government? Who cares, he’s Irish, and old.

There are other players, of course, but these guys stand out for me. Maybe I’ll read the local paper and actually get a handle on some hard current political issues, no that it matters. The province will tell me what to do.

Oh, and as an addendum. Ford, Smitherman, or any of the other bobble heads running for Toronto mayor--that city deserves everyone of them.