20 years

It just struck me that twenty years ago last week I launched my campaign for city council. Twenty years!

So much has happened since then. Two kids. A lot of changes in the neighbourhood, and the city. A light rail system cancelled, then rebooted, then built and (eventually) launched… kinda. Career changes - good ones. Campaigns lost and won. Sad farewells to friends, family and colleagues. Many, many adventures - some work-related, some with family, a couple solo. Lockdowns. Convoy. A lot of joy, heartbreak, frustration, worry and hope.

This fall we’ll have the next municipal election. And while it’s hard to muster enthusiasm in such a chaotic moment in this world, it’s so important to pay attention to elections at every level.

Our city has to wrestle with some pretty complex challenges. Some are problems that have been exacerbated by inaction of other levels of government (the housing crisis, the toxic drug supply, the growing cost of living, climate change). Some are problems of our own making (decades of aversion to raising taxes, unchecked sprawl, bloated police budgets while community and social services are starved, a divided and often parochial council). Who we elect matters.

It’s time that Ottawa put aside the relentless pursuit of the mediocre.

If that is going to happen, we will all need to step up. Some of us will need to step up and run, and ideally we’d have progressive folk running in every ward.

But having good candidates is only a starting point. The rest of us need to step up and show up for the good folk who put themselves out there. We need to knock on doors, talk to our neighbours, put up signs and support our candidates financially. And in today’s campaigning climate, we’ll have to do this work amid a torrent of misinformation, manipulation, and cynical tactics meant to capitalize on fear and inertia.

This is a big city. Like, geographically big. Anyone running for mayor needs to seek support in every corner, to be prepared to find common ground between a lot of different and often conflicting priorities. Will they take a visionary approach, or pit neighbourhoods against each other? Will they be willing to confront the real challenges that impact our city, or continue to minimize, deflect and deny responsibility?

Although candidates cannot formally register, raise or spend money before May, some campaigns have launched informally. They are getting themselves organized, building teams and making plans. Some are doing this quietly, laying the groundwork and calculating the right time to go public. Others may still be weighing their options.

I know that Jeff Leiper is planning a run at the mayoral role, leaving the council spot in Kitchissippi open.

And no. I’m not running. But Joanne Chianello, former municipal reporter, will be, and I‘m excited about that!

I’m looking forward to keeping an eye on the races, dusting off my municipal politics-watching specs, helping out where I can.

It will be a welcome change from ruminating about existential threats and global shenanigans.