One thing that the circus at Toronto city hall has done is raise awareness about the role and importance of civic government - especially what happens when government doesn't function.
Most of the time, people couldn't care less about who runs city hall unless their garbage pickup is late or mishandled. Voter turnout is typically abysmal - less than 25% of eligible voters typically participate in the Tri-Cities in general elections, which sounds great compared to the recent Coquitlam byelection turnout of less than 10%.
Half the time, people couldn't tell you who a local councillor is and that's a shame. By giving up their vote, the electorate hands over the job of electing people to special interest groups such as unions and developers, which disproportionately contribute to election campaigns and, thus, potentially hold more sway.
Could this situation be addressed? Possibly, if civic campaigns were more open, affordable and accessible. It could be argued that voters tune out from local elections because of the sheer size and complexity of the campaigns. They may feel a certain distance from the process, believing it's best left to others with deeper knowledge - or pockets.
To make civic election campaigns more affordable, the provincial government is looking at implementing a cap on election expenses and is asking the public for input. This is certainly one issue worth considering. Electioneering even in the Tri-Cities is getting increasingly expensive. In the last Coquitlam general election for example, Mayor Richard Stewart spent about $66,000 while his unsuccessful challenger, Barrie Lynch, dropped about $82,000.
Currently, election expenses are posted online well after the election has taken place but if people really want to know who is buying their candidate's vote, they should be able to get that information as soon as the cheque is cashed. Unfortunately, this isn't being considered, nor are caps on campaign contributions because the government says expense limits would be more effective than contribution limits in promoting participation in the election process.
There are other issues but it looks like they won't be addressed until after the 2014 election.
Still, anything that can make civic elections fair, open and transparent will be a good thing because we shouldn't need a drug-addled mayor and shoving matches in council chambers before people care.
