This is where I do my work: Chapter 2.2 Issues

 

Chapter 2.2
Motivations: Issues

 

While “duty” and “responsibility” dominated the responses and all the respondents would likely say they were doing it “out of the goodness of their hearts,” other features were also listed as motivating factors. These factors were less vague than “personal responsibility to the community,” and included advocacy on particular issues, a desire to make a difference, and concerns regarding democratic representation on council.

Issue Advocacy:

Given the background of councillors in volunteer work that includes charities, community boards and committees, and advocacy organizations and campaigns, I tis not surprising that many would point to specific issues as motivating factors. As a councillor on the Waterloo regional government put it, “I turned down invitations to run for the Green Party and the NDP and decided I would stop using a preference for regional office as an excuse and actually run for it. I had been an advocate for a long time and decided it was time to be an advocate for my cause from a position of (some) power.”

While all issues are bound up with policies, they are distinguished in terms of scope, some are generalized while others are quite specific. The issues expressed fell into three categories, general public policy associated with municipal government, specific development plans, and very specific personal disputes with the city.

General policy concerns were directed at issues and public policy choices that have significant impact on the local level; policy concerns such as transportation, poverty and homelessness, parks and recreation, libraries and communications, heritage, and of course economic development.

… safer neighbourhoods for my Children; better parks; protect schools in the area; renew a derelict downtown (Deep River). There were issues around transportation that I could no longer move forward without being at the council table. I also thought my city had good bones and could be doing better in many ways (Sudbury). It wasn’t any one particular reason that brought me to decide to run for office, but a culmination of a lot of different issues and situations.  I was a neighbourhood activist who had represented our neighbourhood at city hall on different land based planning and social issues.  Through doing this work I created relationships with other neighbourhoods and people from across the city. … My priorities are better transportation across the city, investment in London, and making sure every Londoner has a roof over their head (London). I chose to run at the municipal level as I had a great interest in growth and development that was coming to my area (Stoney Creek Hamilton).  There were issues in our municipality that needed to be addressed (North Eastern Manitoulin and the Islands). The issues I am most passionate about are under the authority of the municipal level of government -- planning, heritage, water, parks, urban forestry, environment, trails, downtown revitalization (Guelph). I ran for office because of some big decisions that were about to be made that would adversely affect our downtown. Having been exposed to politics at a young age I realized that you can’t sit back and expect other people to change things for you.  You have to be prepared to put your name forward and not rely on other people to voice your thoughts and opinions (Woodstock). On heritage issues, I became very frustrated with the lack of engagement shown by existing Council members on some very critical developments related to the preservation of unique historic buildings in our community (Niagara on the Lake). I wanted to ensure that our township kept its rural, magnificent landscape (Township of Mulmur). I was recently retired from my profession and was looking for ways to become more engaged in my community and to 'give back' (Georgian Bluffs). I am also passionate about Southwold Township, small town life, and about the rural southwestern Ontario landscape (Township of Southwold). Our community is quite unique in that there are more seasonal residents then year round residents so it is hard to balance the needs of the population that lives here year round with the desires of the seasonal residents.  I live here year round and want this to be a great place to live and work.  Not to visit and walk away and not worry how the people manage living year round in the community (White Stone Parry Sound).  There was a local issue I had expertise in and felt passionate about   and council was all male (McNab Braeside).  I ran to get a seat at the table on the local issues that mattered most to me. I had been advocating and volunteering with a group of people for a community hub in a Norfolk County. It didn’t have support with the former council and I wanted to see it through (Norfolk). I chose to run at the municipal level because I can address the issues that are most relevant to my immediate area (Port Hope). I was concerned about the policy direction being set as I had different priorities for the city in which I wished to raise my family and hopefully have them stay in (London). We had no internet service in our area, and Libraries needed for reference were 45 minutes away. I felt our town was dying. Businesses were disappearing. There was no economic development. I was mad. Council needed a push” (Murrah Montieth). Because of my work (primarily in areas of poverty, homelessness, childcare, and women’s issues more broadly …. [I]t’s at the regional level that the issues that are most important to me – homelessness and affordable housing, public transit, and childcare among others – are decided and delivered (Waterloo Region).

 

Most of the specific development issues were environmental in nature, others were concerns about the economic or demographic impacts of particular development plans.

… there was a huge issue, a gas-fired peaker plant that was slated to be built on prime agricultural land (Township of King).  I got involved in a citizens group that opposed the building of a garbage incinerator in our rural farm community. After years of research, hiring of expert to review medical and environmental impact data, and preparing reports, informing community members and officials at all levels of government, we were close to having the planning application for rezoning denied. I was asked by many citizens to run for council so we would have the council support to defeat this proposal, and to protect the health of our community, and to advocate for alternative clean business to come to the community (Port Hope).  I ran for office in 2014 because in 2012 I became a leader of a citizens’ group in our municipality which was opposed to:  a) siting a deep geological repository (DGR) to store highly radioactive nuclear waste in our town and region and b) deep burial of radioactive waste anywhere in the Great Lakes Basin.  As a result of my involvement in this issue I attended our local Council meetings regularly because I was concerned about transparency regarding the above issue.  In the course of my regular observation of Council meetings my interest in municipal issues developed and I decided I would like to run for Council.  I am a retired high school teacher of government, law, economics and history, so I already had a significant base of knowledge.  My leadership in the DGR issue also prompted a number of citizens to ask me to run for Council (Saugeen Shores). My community was facing an unnecessary political project that would have financially crippled many of our residents and most certainly our elderly retired residents. Many were selling their homes and leaving my community in droves fearing this project would move forward. … This issue was a Municipal project that most people wanted nothing to do with (South Bruce Peninsula). A subdivision proposal near my home was not presented to the public in an open transparent manner. I decided to change that (East Willimbury). Our township had a land planning issue I was interested in and had specific knowledge in that area that I felt would help make a good decision on it, council was all male and it needed a female perspective (McNab – Braeside). My attention was aroused because I objected to the proposed location of a local landfill. … I was asked to run since I was concerned and spoke out about it, andI have been a Councillor for 24 years now (Central Huron). To save a 875 acre forest from development at the bottom of our street. … Municipal. That was the only way to save the forest.  Provincial or federal would not have made a difference (Kingston). I was concerned about a elementary school being right beside a gravel pit operation. My sons attended the school. It was a health issue for students & staff (Mono). It was the local issues that I had an issue with NHL sized Arena being paid for with tax payers dollars (Markham). I ran for office because there was a development application in my neighbourhood that I was unhappy about and my local representatives were not representing my views. … I ran at the local level because it was an event in my neighbourhood that caused me to run (Halton Hills).

 

Certainly, it can be argued that there is a strong overtone of Nimbyism in the issue advocacy expressed. Nimbyism is generally understood as a pejorative signifying a parochial, selfish, conservativism, however, a more nuanced or critical approach understands this opposition as an expression of grassroots activism and localized democracy (Ruming, 2014). As Daniel Kuber (1999) argues,

Local protest against the siting of unwanted facilities … is not simply caused by selfish, egoism, or ignorance. Although these factors can do have an impact, contesting the sitting of a certain facility can equally mean contesting official versions of the common interest. Hence, community resistance against public facilities represents a potential leverage for effective contesting of public policy principles.

The principle at work here is an understanding that developments that present a significant impact on the community should be fully discussed, consulted, and decided by the community itself. In other words, what is occurring is the local politics of civic engagement.

Finally, less optimistic and more disillusioned approaches views consider politics and running for political office to be about personal gain and agendas. However, individually specific motivations were rare in the responses given.

I was approached when I was disagreeing with a negotiator from the County who was trying to purchase land from us for a road widening project and I was not giving in. Also we lost a planning application to have our property severed to allow our parents to build on. (East Zorra – Tavistock). We have a small community.  I have a large family, most of them in our township, so I wanted to advocate for them (Municipality of Calvin). I had built a new house and then neighbours built beside and built the house up. When asked how, the answers were never answered, and there was no consistency …. My issues were with lack of transparency in decision-making (Municipality of South Huron).

 

Overall, we can see that the issues that led to seeking positions on municipal council were framed in terms of advocating and ensuring the good of the community. As Crow (1997, 441) found, the issues were generally concerned with quality of life for the individuals who live in the community.

In the next posting we shall examine how the desire to make a difference and to have an impact was a common feature in motivating a run for political office.