Mr. X: The Nominations Are Closed Now Look Beyond the Promises

Mr. X: The Nominations Are Closed Now Look Beyond the Promises By Mr. ‘X’ ~ John Mutton, Former Mayor of Clarington CENTRAL EXCLUSIVE Mr. X: The Nominations Are Closed - Now Look Beyond the Promises The nominations are closed. The names are on the ballot, the campaigns are underway, and now the most important part of the municipal election begins: the voters have to do their homework. Over the coming weeks, residents are going to hear a lot of promises. Some will sound exciting. Some will make great headlines. Some will fit nicely on a campaign sign or into a 30-second social-media video. But I would encourage every voter to ask one additional question whenever a candidate makes a promise: How are you actually going to do it? Ideas matter. But the plan behind the idea matters even more. If somebody running for municipal office tells you they are going to "eliminate homelessness," for example, ask them how. Homelessness is an extraordinarily complicated issue involving housing supply and affordability, mental health, addiction, income, health care, supportive housing, policing, social services and responsibilities divided among municipal, regional, provincial and federal governments. No municipal politician can simply wave a wand and eliminate it. A serious candidate should understand the jurisdiction they are seeking to govern, what powers that municipality actually possesses, what resources are available and what partnerships would be required to produce measurable improvement. That doesn't mean we accept homelessness. Quite the opposite. It means we need candidates with realistic strategies instead of unrealistic slogans. Now consider another candidate who says municipal taxes are too high and proposes a comprehensive review of municipal services to determine what taxpayers are funding, which services are mandated, which are discretionary, where duplication exists and whether programs are producing measurable value. Whether you ultimately agree with that candidate or not, at least there is a mechanism attached to the promise. That's what voters should be looking for: the mechanism. Don't just ask candidates what they want to accomplish. Ask them how they intend to accomplish it, how much it will cost, where the money will come from and how they will measure whether it worked. Municipal elections can sometimes become competitions over who can grab the "sexiest" issue. Candidates see something dominating the television news or social media and suddenly everybody has a position on it. But municipal government isn't supposed to be a collection of trending topics. Municipal government is roads. It's bridges, water, sewer, waste collection, parks, recreation, fire protection, policing, planning, transit, infrastructure and the countless other services residents depend upon every single day. And there is another responsibility that receives far too little attention during election campaigns: constituent service. I want councillors who will roll up their sleeves. I want them returning telephone calls and answering emails. I want them meeting residents. I want them walking neighbourhoods. I want them understanding the problems facing local businesses, seniors, young families and people struggling to make ends meet. I want them to know why a particular intersection isn't working, why residents are frustrated about a development application, why a park needs attention and why somebody has been trying unsuccessfully for three weeks to get an answer from municipal government. You cannot properly represent a community that you don't know. And you don't get to know a community by sitting behind a desk or spending four years arguing politics on social media. You learn it by being there. Municipal government is also different from the provincial and federal levels. Councillors aren't elected to be miniature premiers or prime ministers. Their responsibility is much closer to home. When they take their seat at that council rail, their job is to represent the people who put them there and exercise responsible stewardship over the public's money. That's why I encourage residents during this election to look beyond political labels as well. I've met excellent municipal candidates from the right, the left and the centre. I've also met poor candidates from every part of the political spectrum. The question shouldn't simply be which political team somebody identifies with. Ask instead: Can this person make good decisions for my community? Do they understand a municipal budget? Do they understand what services the municipality is legally required to provide? Do they understand infrastructure? Do they understand development and growth? Can they distinguish between something that sounds good and something taxpayers can actually afford? And perhaps most importantly, will they listen? Because after all the signs come down and all the campaign literature goes into the recycling bin, somebody still has to govern. The potholes will still need fixing. The roads will still need rebuilding. The fire trucks will still need replacing. The water will still have to flow. The garbage will still have to be collected. And residents will still expect somebody at municipal hall to answer the telephone when they have a problem. So over the next several weeks, don't simply count the promises. Examine the plans behind them. Ask every candidate what they want to accomplish - and then ask them how they're going to accomplish it. Look for candidates who understand the limits of municipal government but aren't afraid to challenge the way it operates. Look for people prepared to review spending, establish priorities and make difficult decisions. Look for candidates who understand that every dollar government spends first came from somebody who earned it. And look for people who are willing to roll up their sleeves, get to know their communities and become the strongest possible voice for the residents they represent. The nominations are closed. Now it's time for the voters to conduct the job interviews.