Columnists
As simple as that
So Mayor Robert Quaiff has secured the nomination as the Liberal candidate for the Bay of Quinte riding in the Ontario provincial election to be held next June. Congratulations to him.
Mr. Quaiff intends to hold on to the mayor’s job until the provincial campaign officially begins in May. At that point, he will take a leave of absence from the position. If he wins the riding, he will resign the office of mayor. If he loses, he will resume his duties as mayor and could conceivably run for re-election next October.
The Picton Gazette reports Mr. Quaiff to say there has been one burning question on everyone’s lips: Why the Liberals, given his oppostion to the Green Energy Act? Mr. Quaiff answers it this way: “Nothing has changed, the Liberals know they are getting a strong advocate for their community… I will work on your behalf to get what you want. It’s as simple as that.”
But is it as simple as that? To me the statements raise issues about job conflict and just what Mr. Quaiff brings to the table.
First is the matter of job conflict. Mr. Quaiff is now wearing an Ontario Liberal uniform over top of his mayor’s chain of office. Whether he likes it or not, he is the riding’s defender of all things Liberal—and that means both the party’s current basket of promises and its track record as a government. He risks marginalization by his new teammates if he takes positions contrary to party dogma. And neither he—nor any other Liberal candidate—can present himself as a completely fresh face because a voter in a polling booth only has him to call to account for that track record: the “X” either goes beside his name or goes elsewhere.
Mr. Quaiff must also have been performing a personal courtship ritual with the Liberals at the same time as he was staunchly asserting County-driven positions. Looking backwards, there will be some who wonder whether the mayoral performance was as staunch as it could have been if his provincial political aspirations weren’t a factor And going forward, can Mr. Quaiff convince people that his performance as mayor will not be affected by a desire to please his putative Liberal colleagues, human nature being what it is?
Mr. Quaiff’s decision to take a leave of absence rather than resign the mayor’s position outright enables him (should he lose provincially) to govern as mayor for the remaining five months of the municipal cycle, and also enables him to run in the municipal election as the incumbent, rather than as “just another candidate.” Taking the “leave” route rather than the “quit” route, while it may give Mr. Quaiff more options personally, it suggests he is hedging his bets about his chances provincially—which may not exactly embolden Liberal footsoldiers in his cause.
Then there is the matter of what Mr. Quaiff brings to the table. Mr. Quaiff says he has sought the nomination because he likes the Liberal promises of 100,000 new daycare spaces, free tuition for post-secondary students, free prescription drugs for those under 25 and a $15 minimum wage. Promising to work on our behalf “to get what you want” sounds okay at first blush. But who is the “you” upon whose behalf he is going to work. If ‘“you” means “everyone,” and if everyone wants the same thing, then the advocacy job should be an easy one. But what happens if the issue is more contentious? How then does he decide what “you” want? Is he going to listen to the most boisterous voices, the most reasoned or the most recent? Asserting that he will support the collective will of his constituents is not a substitute for taking a position on the issues, defending that position and sticking with it; and being forthcoming when circumstances suggest the position be changed. To do the job well involves leadership, not just determining the popular line.
Mr. Quaiff adds “why not work with the party that likes to look at providing solutions to problems.” He seems to be saying that he has looked around the policy grocery stores and prefers the Liberal inventory to what the NDP and Conservatives have on offer. It is a little strange that an experienced politician would not already have devloped an affinity for one party’s policies over those of another.
He also states “I love this region; I was born and raised here.” That can be taken two ways. Either it means that he doesn’t hate the place, which is good to know although it’s hardly a vote clincher; or it is an attempt to play the ‘County lineage knows best’ card. But that card is misleading, because a more recent arrival can be just as effective an advocate for the County as a person with roots here.
That was simple, wasn’t it?
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