{"id":14372,"date":"2010-09-28T09:00:28","date_gmt":"2010-09-28T13:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=14372"},"modified":"2013-01-21T13:12:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T18:12:00","slug":"lorinc-can-we-change-the-election-channel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2010\/09\/28\/lorinc-can-we-change-the-election-channel\/","title":{"rendered":"LORINC: Can we change the election channel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After enduring two mayoral debates last week, it struck me that following this election is a lot like watching Seinfeld re-runs endlessly. The same cast of unlikeable characters, the same rim-shot lines, the same grinding pettiness.<\/p>\n

I, for one, can\u2019t wait for a new season to start, even if the only premiere on offer turns out to be a Toronto version of Family Guy.<\/p>\n

So a modest proposal: if the next mayor and council can make just one change to really improve local democracy in this town, they should shift the official registration date for candidates \u2013 council\u2019s equivalent to dropping the writ \u2013 from the first Monday after New Year\u2019s to the first Tuesday following Labour Day.<\/p>\n

Et voila: a full-bodied two-month campaign (still lengthy by federal or provincial standards) instead of an amateur version of Wagner\u2019s Ring Cycle.<\/p>\n

If the campaign\u2019s mind-numbing tedium doesn\u2019t persuade you, consider the case of some of the zanier policy planks that have emerged in the past two weeks: Rocco Rossi\u2019s highway tunnel, of course, and George Smitherman\u2019s 2% tax break for apartment dwellers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I needn\u2019t say more about Rossi, but Smitherman\u2019s pledge \u2014 which he claims will put $50 a year back into the pockets of apartment dwellers \u2014 isn\u2019t serious policy so much as a transparent attempt to throw a bone to a large voting block and, more significantly, the city\u2019s rental housing industry, the real beneficiary. Even if he could figure out how to pay for such a plan, Smitherman has no way of ensuring the tax cut flows through to tenants; that\u2019s why one of the admiring quotes on the press release comes from the head of the landlords\u2019 association.<\/p>\n

The point is that these candidates are clearly scraping around for crumbs at the bottom of the municipal cookie jar. Having stumped since January, they have precious little left to announce, but a lot of air time to fill between now and October 25. (And also because neither Smitherman nor Rossi are disciplined campaigners who know how to stay on a simple message.)<\/p>\n

Here, then, is the case for a two-month campaign:<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>It will attract candidates who are justifiably put off by the spectre \u2013 and cost \u2013 of campaigning for the better part of a year. As it stands, mayoral candidates must have the wherewithal to survive a 10-month race, not to mention a sado-masochistic streak.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> It may actually increase voter turnout, as opposed to what we\u2019re doing now, which is generating vast quantities of voter fatigue. An irritable, exhausted voter is less likely to cast a ballot than an engaged one, no?<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> It will allow the outgoing mayor and council (as well as the media) to focus on their final year in office and the city\u2019s business. As it stands, the marathon represents a huge distraction, and allows stealth interventions from other orders.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Most importantly, it will allow the candidates to stick to a core set of issues that can be debated over a finite period. I\u2019d argue that if we had a two month campaign, there would be little incentive for candidates to grab headlines with outrageous promises that have almost no chance of succeeding (thus perpetuating the cycle of voter disenchantment).<\/p>\n

So the next time you hear a candidate jawing about governance or electoral reform, ask them if they want to go through all this again. I\u2019m guessing they\u2019d be more than happy to change the channel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After enduring two mayoral debates last week, it struck me that following this election is a lot like watching Seinfeld re-runs endlessly. The same cast of unlikeable characters, the same rim-shot lines, the same grinding pettiness. 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