Mayor’s race: “I’m not Larry” isn’t going to cut it

Editor’s note: Voting day is still eight months away, but with candidates such as Jim Watson and Alex Cullen already in the running for the mayor’s chair and several long-time councilors announcing plans to leave office at the end of this term, interest in October’s civic election has already started to build.

Spacing Ottawa is launching our commentary on the 2010 municipal election with this post from veteran blogger — and former candidate for Kitchissippi Ward — Vicky Smallman. Vicky will share our CityVote column with commentator and media consultant Ian Capstick.

What is it about a municipal election that makes the campaign seem so long? Well, it’s not just a feeling; municipal elections are a drawn-out process. Candidates can register starting in early January, but nominations don’t close until September 10. From a candidate’s point of view, the jockeying for attention starts from the moment of their announcement, but most of the action (debates, canvassing, and media attention) occurs between the close of nominations and election day, which is October 25.

But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to write about right now. Take the mayoral campaign. Nine candidates have registered so far, including veteran councilor Alex Cullen and former mayor Jim Watson, who resigned his position as Municipal Affairs minister and Member of Provincial Parliament to seek the mayoralty. Incumbent Larry O’Brien says he’ll make up his mind in June. Homelessness advocate and 2006 candidate Jane Scharf is also running. As for the others, there is not a lot of information about them at this point in the campaign.

The late entry into the campaign certainly worked for O’Brien last time, and he likely wants to keep his options open and monitor his chances of success. A number of other councilors associated with the centre/centre-left (or “urban”) are rumoured to be planning or considering mayoral bids. If the field gets too heavy, O’Brien (despite his stated reluctance) may just figure the split will work to his advantage once more.

This poses some challenges for the other mayoral candidates as they develop their platforms and messaging for this stage in the campaign. Do they run as alternatives to Larry O’Brien or do they focus on their vision for the city (at least initially)? Watson, as the outsider, can certainly focus on the failings of the current council and try to set himself up as a “fixer”. Cullen, as a sitting councilor, has an uphill battle to demonstrate that he can bring together our fractured and dysfunctional council.

There are a few advantages to mayoral candidates getting out there early. You can raise and spend money, for one. It costs a lot of money to run a good mayoral campaign in a city this big (indeed, Alex Munter had to continue fundraising after the 2006 election was over, to pay off campaign debt). Alex Cullen doesn’t take corporate or union donations (at least, he didn’t as a councilor), so he needs to start early and work hard.

Candidates also need to increase their profile, get as much media attention as possible, and distinguish themselves from their competitors. They need to let voters know about their vision for the city, and give voters a reason to support them. Whether Larry O’Brien runs or not, “I’m not Larry” isn’t going to be enough.

Watson’s opening salvo – questioning the latest transit plan – was a little baffling, as I highly doubt Ottawa voters have the patience for another election with transit as a central issue. As for Cullen, a powerpoint document from his web site seems overly-preoccupied with trying to counter attempts to dismiss him as the “left-wing” candidate (Some free advice, Alex: powerpoint on a website? Not terribly effective). Neither campaign web site is heavy on policy yet. But it’s early.

So what will be the issues? What should they be? As the campaign unfolds, Spacing Ottawa’s CityVote will anticipate and elucidate the key questions, scrutinize the campaigns, and cut through the spin. We’ll look at the races for council, talk about the mechanics of campaigning and communicating, and reflect on why voting municipally is important.

Looking forward to the dialogue!

photo by MB Powell