KINGTON’S POLITICAL WINDS SHIFTING: A quick guide to local election races

Out with the old…

As Kingston’s electoral races head into the home stretch, people keep asking, “Who should I support for Mayor?” Unlike the last go-round between developer Harvey Rosen and teacher Rick Downes (with surveyor Kevin George’s surprise candidacy tipping the balance in favour of the eventual winner), the lines may not seem as clearly drawn.

Best take today’s campaign pledges with a good bit of skepticism. Rather, have a look at how the two incumbent contenders voted on key issues in the recent past. Glance at Harvey Schachter’s very useful “Eight Votes” article http://www.kingstonlife.ca/ for details.

Mr. Matheson and Mr. Gerretsen were on the same side in the votes to retain the Springer naming rights for Market Square – though no one uses the name of those moneyed interests when they talk about going down for carrots or a skate.

The two were also of one mind on bowing to the building application by US big box behemoth Lowe’s, even though the scheme on Springer-owned land violated the Official Plan. Ditto with taking the next step in the Span To Sprawl (aka the “Third Crossing”) the budget-busting boondoggle that would raise taxes to stratospheric levels should a future Council be unwise enough to fork over the $150 million plus it would cost. Both candidates opposed the anti-democratic wing proposal to do away with district voting, bringing in an at-large system that would favour candidates with deep pockets.

But on the question of having non-union workers collect green waste, Matheson was opposed and Gerretsen thought outsourcing the work was a good idea. Gerretsen also supported continued selling of water in plastic bottles in city facilities. Matheson opposed. Gerretsen voted against the contentious affordable housing plan for Barriefield, with Matheson supporting. Gerretsen wanted to buy the S&R building, Matheson didn’t.

So it seems to be a bit of an anticlimactic saw-off. No wonder people are uncertain.  It is safe to say that even though Gerretsen wants to appear to straddle the middle in good Liberal fashion, he has usually sided with the right wing bloc (Rosen/Foster/Smith/Hector) and Matheson seems to sway from side to side.

The other candidate is Barrie Chalmers, who wants to run the city like a business. His claim to be able to cut taxes by two per cent annually, leading to an 8% tax reduction in four years,  deserves to be treated as the joke that it is. Ditto the man’s pamphlet claiming that he’s a “real person” and not a politician. This begs the question: What happens to him – and his identity – should he win?

Also in the running are three Queen’s students who have the laudable goal of getting young people interested in politics. According to the Kingston Community Foundation’s recent Vital Signs report, voter turnout is lowest in Kingston neighborhoods with lots of students.

So it really comes down to Matheson and Gerretsen, two men with one term on Council under their belts. Matheson is not nearly as well organized or funded as Gerretsen, who also has name recognition on his side. Having a father who’s been a political fixture hereabouts almost forever is a huge advantage given the low level of public engagement with politics at all levels. It’s especially low with respect to municipal politics where a minority even bothers to vote: Name recognition counts.

Another things that counts – indeed, more than who becomes mayor — is the political composition of the next Council. In the end, the Mayor is only a single vote on Council, though he (all candidates are men) certainly has a bully pulpit and more power in important day-to-day dealings with the civil service. It seems to me that there are three kinds of contests for the twelve Council seats up for grabs.

Slam Dunks

Lisa Osanic, a strong voice for the environment, will have the easiest time of it. She was acclaimed in west end suburban Collins-Bayridge district. Rob Hutchison, a social democrat who represents downtown and the near north end in King’s Town, should have no problem getting re-elected. And Liz Schell should win easily in Portsmouth District, adding the voice of a committed arts activist who is critical of the Span To Sprawl.

One-On-One Races

*In Williamsville longtime build-it-now booster Ed Smith is being challenged by former Councilor Jim Neill. See my Sept. 24 posting. This one is too close to call. A Neill victory would be a big boost for the left because it would mean that a trade union activist would replace a loyal spear carrier for Kingston’s conservative faction. Property developers are no doubt concerned.

*Sydenham District’s contest pits incumbent Bill Glover against the aging Floyd Paterson. Political lines are not quite so clear here. Glover is an ardent heritage conservationist who voted against the Barriefield affordable housing project and for bottled water. But he’s been active in long overdue efforts to reform the City’s affordable housing provider and improve public transit. He opposed the Span To Sprawl and contracting out. Paterson, on the other hand, has a record of supporting the right wing when he sat on Council. He supported Mayor Rosen on all his big ticket spending projects including the Big Rink (aka Krock Centre).

*In Trillium District Vicki Schmolka faces off against Bryan Paterson. Schmolka, another environmentalist and chair of the crucial Planning Committee, has irritated many in Kingston’s establishment – and particularly property developers – with her championing of a new Official Plan that favours density in the city centre over suburban sprawl much preferred by developers and their political allies. In my last blog entry I pointed to one of Paterson’s key endorsers, realtor and longtime build-it-now booster George Stoparczyk. Recently, we’ve learned of Paterson’s links to Canadians for Moral Clarity, a national right wing advocacy group based here in Kingston.

Paterson is a member of the Third Day Worship Centre on Sydenham Road. Canadians for Moral Clarity shares an address with Third Day and is also spearheaded by that church’s Pastor, Francis Armstrong, described as an “accurate prophet” on the faith community’s website. His wife and fellow Pastor Edith is “a mighty prayer warrior.” CMC is clear enough about its political orientation, with action alerts about abortion and euthanasia, though I could find nothing on its advocacy-oriented website about poverty and environmental issues. CMC’s stated goal is to “impart a vision of spiritual and moral renewal in Canada and to reshape Canadian society.” So while the web site urges us to support Harper’s 2008 proroguing of Parliament in the face of what seemed like certain Conservative defeat, we are not urged to support a private member’s bill like C-300. That one, backed by some of Canada’s more progressive churches, would hold Canadian mining companies to account (they receive huge taxpayer subsidies) for their rampant environmental and human rights abuses in the Third World. Warriors choose their battles.

Paterson’s website has no reference to his faith background, nor should it. It is, however, noteworthy that US-style political evangelism seems to be alive and well in Kingston. And a serious candidate for Council is linked to it. Paterson’s campaign seems well-financed, but we won’t know who’s paying the bills until after the election. (More on this when the numbers come out.) We do know that Schmolka has refused any money from unions or private corporations.

For an informed and insightful look at the intersection of politics and religion in Canada, see Dennis Gruending’s “Pulpit and Politics.” http://www.dennisgruending.ca/pulpitandpolitics/

Out in Countryside District we have another two-way tussle between the unpredictable Joyce MacLeod-Kane and Jeff Scott. The former’s voting record is all over the map. She voted for the Span To Sprawl and bottled water, as well as for contracting out. In spite of  her privatization position (she recently waffled on the issue at a Canadian Union of Public Employees meeting) she still garnered the support of the local Labour Council. Scott, a former backer of his opponent, appears not to offer much of substantial difference to MacLeod-Kane. They differ over whether Council should have a Rural Affairs Committee and, like most everyone else, they’re worried about too much traffic going too fast….but still want to build that Span.

Finally, Kingscourt-Strathcona has been vacated by the best orator in Kingston politics, Steve Garrison. A Liberal party member, Garrison still consistently supported the left, a counterpoint to Leonore Foster on the right. His seat is being contested by former Councilor Brian Evoy and newcomer Sandy Berg. The latter, a “Top Rotarian,” put up a website long on biographical detail and short on policy content. Lots of  emphasis on slick marketing phrases like “smart, affordable choices.” Evoy is backed by the outgoing Garrison and the Labour Council. Both Evoy and Berg have significant volunteer experience, with Evoy highlighting “I AM YOUR NEIGHBOUR,” perhaps a reference to Berg’s address outside the district she wants to represent. Berg is backed by the outgoing  Foster, with Garrison supporting Evoy. An interesting race.

Free-For-Alls

The remaining districts are being contested by more than two candidates. My previous posting discussed the North End race in Cataraqui, where six men are running. Will Rick Downes’s name recognition factor help him in the same way that Mark Gerretsen is surely counting on a familiar moniker?  The main contender would seem to be Jeff Welsh, backed by the familiar Meers clan, who had this district as their stronghold.

In Lakeside incumbent Dorothy Hector, a loyal supporter of the Rosen faction (again, see Kingston Life article) is up against a strong challenge from Labour Council Treasurer Joan Jardin. The choice seems clear, but who knows? Two other candidates, including banker Doug Cameron, are in the running. Will the three newcomers split the anti-incumbent vote of people who have complained of Hector’s lack of responsiveness to neighborhood concerns? Or will people in a district with generally high voter turnout discern who the main ideological adversaries are?

In suburban Loyalist-Cataraqui, Kevin George joins Jim Neill, Brian Evoy, Floyd Patterson and Carsten Sorensen (see below) in the Comeback Kid sweepstakes. George was formerly a Kingston Township and post-amalgamation elected representative. He’s facing a challenge from plucky Princess Street barber Pat Vecchio and David Peterson, proud of his work as an air force reservist. Conservationists with long memories may recall George’s support (back in the Township days) for the notion of selling off Lemoine Point lands that eventually became part of the Conservation Area.

Finally, Pittsburgh district, longtime fiefdom of build-it-now booster Leonore Foster.  And the only East End candidate who does not have a go-go line on the Span To Sprawl is the above-mentioned Carsten Sorensen, a realtor. The other three men place the “Third Crossing” at the top of their priority lists. Sorensen, a Pittsburgh Township councilor at the time of amalgamation, is surely taking a savvy stance in pointing out how the Span would jack up everyone’s taxes. But how that will play in the district most affected by the scheme is anyone’s guess. Interesting.

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Posted in: Municipal Election 2010