On the home front (Part I)

(I was originally going to do this as one post, but I thought if I split it into two it'd give the illusion that I'm actually getting something up here from time to time.)

It's that time again, Ontario.

Municipal elections are coming up. It doesn't feel like three-and-a-half years since I, bushy-tailed young journalism student that I was, reported on Brantford's 2006 elections for class, yet that's exactly how long it has been.

This October, Brantfordites (and Kitchenerites and Waterloosers and everybody else in the province) return to the polls to cast their ballots for mayor, city council, and positions of lesser renown.

I'll be dealing with Brantford in this post, and then I'll be back in a few days to talk about the situations in Kitchener and Waterloo.

Brantford has had a history of competitive mayoral elections (as well as John Turmel and Winston Ferguson-types high on colour and short on the 'taken seriously' factor), and 2010 promises to be no exception.

Incumbent mayor Mike Hancock has yet to officially announce his candidacy either way, but all signs seem to point to Hancock not seeking a third turn. Several candidates have already begun campaigns, and if Hancock were running, he would likely want his name in on the ground for.

The same goes for former mayor Chris Friel, who finished a very near second to Hancock in both 2003 and 2006. Friel is a bit less of a long shot to run, but again the lack of any announcement thus far makes his candidacy unlikely.

Of those who have declared, the favourite appears to be current Ward 1 councillor Mark Littell (left). First elected to council in 2006, with a public perception that he was only running for council so he could run for mayor in 2010, Littell has proven those predictions correct.

If nothing else, Littell certainly is able to look and act the part of Mayor of Brantford, and that is why I see him being successful - he's a good politician. Being responsible for downtown has allowed Littell to take the lead on the Colborne expropriation and other major issues, which has in turn given him more visibility with the public which can be leveraged into a strong mayoral campaign.

To the extent that municipal politicians can be classified by ideology, Littell is a bit of a conservative - nice to business, and happy to see his record tied to major business-friendly projects. Students generally don't care about Brantford politics enough to have opinions on the subject, but Littell (likely because of his obvious ambition and conservative leanings) is generally disliked by students who have met him.


>Another strong candidate is current councillor John Sless (right). Sless has been on council for much longer than Littell, and has cultivated a reputation as a true fiscal conservative - somebody who will question even the smallest bits of city spending, ensuring that the Brantford taxpayers get the best value for their money.

Sless' biggest challenge is his appearance - he looks like the councillor who goes over every line of the budget with a fine-tooth comb, but he doesn't look like a mayor. It might seem trivial, but when so much of the public's voting power will be spent based on who looks most impressive on TV, Sless has an uphill battle.

The third - and likely final - current councillor seeking the mayor's chair is James Calnan (left), also new to council in 2006. Calnan hasn't developed a reputation to the extent of Littell or Sless, which could hit him harder than any policy or qualification issues - he's more of an unknown.

Calnan has become a go-to councillor for CTV when they head to Brantford to cover local issues, so that is a source of visibility that the other two don't have - but I don't think it's important enough to make a big difference.

Also running is former councillor Mike Quattrociocchi, but his candidacy will likely be hampered by the same factors that sunk his 2006 bid to remain on council (namely, a disregard for building permits and by extension all municipal by-laws, such are the wonders of perception).

It seems as though the biggest issue in Brantford this electoral session will be the aforementioned state of Colborne's south side between Grand River Hall and Icomm Dr. Properties are scheduled to be demolished soon, even though there is no plan as far as what will go into that space or how any of it will be paid for. Littell has been one of the main proponents of pushing through with all of this no matter what - which leads my cynical side to wonder if he wants it out of the public's mind before the election because he knows it would hurt his chances otherwise.

Predicting what other issues will emerge over the course of a campaign is never easy, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brantford's election issues included a renovated, expanded, and possibly relocated bus terminal, ways to attract commercial and retail (read: non-Laurier) partners to the downtown, redevelopment of remaining brownfield (and, less likely, greyfield) sites, and attracting new investors to the city.

In any event, it's sure to be an interesting campaign. Kitchener and Waterloo, probably in less detail, to come next week.

--Ryan