The good and bad

Council got younger on Monday night. Not a whole lot younger, mind you, but younger nonetheless. Lenny Epstein, Steven Graham and Steve Ferguson represent a different generation than many of their new colleagues around the council table. Epstein and Graham have young children growing up in Prince Edward County— a perspective that has been missing from recent terms of council.

Too often, policies to do with such things as economic development are viewed through the lens of what’s best for grandchildren. Epstein and Graham should bring a more immediate, more salient case to attract and retain young families to Prince Edward County.

Council also got more progressive. Bill Roberts and Treat Hull join with Epstein, Ferguson and perhaps Graham in seeing the County and its potential as larger than its prejudices; larger than its fears. For too long investment in the County has been thwarted by a governing class fearful that growth will transform this place in ugly, extractive or unfamiliar ways. This fear has served to increase the burden of paying for municipal services on a static or, in some cases, shrinking population base. It has also served to make one of Canada’s oldest demographics a bit greyer.

Alas, there will still be some voices bent on dragging Shire Hall back to the way things used to be. But at first blush, the morning after the election, it is hard not to be optimistic that County council will be much more inclined to move forward, rather than back. More inclined to build, than tear down.

It must be said that Monday night provided a fair share of disappointment as well. Council became decidedly more male. Just two women, Dianne O’Brien and Janice Maynard, have been elected to a council of 16. That is down from five female councillors on the outgoing council. This is particularly disappointing given the efforts made by Bev Campbell, Heather Campbell, Victoria Leskie and Lyndsay Richmond to attract and encourage greater participation by women in local government.

With such a pronounced gender imbalance, the group photo of the new council risks looking more like a ’50s artifact than a modern governing body. Disappointment arises less out of the prospects for the next council, but rather its distorted reflection of this community.

The fact is few municipal policy decisions—. roads, infrastructure and land planning—have direct gender implications. Nevertheless, this perspective around the council table has been diminished—and we are poorer for it.

Just as disappointing was the fact that voter turnout was sickeningly low. Just 43.8 per cent of eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot, down from 47.4 per cent in the previous municipal election. On Monday, 975 fewer eligible voters cast a ballot than in 2010.

Despite relatively easy online voting, advanced polls and a lovely fall day encouraging County residents to choose their next local government, fewer decided it mattered.

It is hard to know for certain why this was— but there are some clues.

Both Ameliasburgh and Hillier suffered shockingly steep drops in voter participation, from 41 per cent in 2010 to 34 per cent on Monday in Ameliasburgh; and from 43 to 37 per cent participation in Hillier. Nearly half of the vote drop occurred in these two wards.

Constituents in both wards had voted overwhelmingly in favour of reviewing the size of council in 2010. But despite this direction, their elected representatives dragged their feet, refusing to act until it was almost too late. Even then, they rejected the only recommendation on the table and refused to talk about it for the rest of the term.

Electors may be forgiven in Ameliasburgh, Hillier and elsewhere if they felt disinclined to vote on Monday, since council chose to ignore their direction the last time they went to the ballot box.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of Monday’s result is that of the nine council members who voted against the Citizens’ Assembly recommendation to reduce the size of council last year—only four have been returned to Shire Hall. Robert Quaiff, elected mayor, has since recanted his position on the issue and is now in favour of a smaller council. Jamie Forrester, Dianne O’Brien and Janice Maynard have not. All three were elected to the next council with smaller vote totals than they earned in 2010.

They dare not ignore voters again.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca

The Times is proud to provide comprehensive municipal election coverage in this issue with contributions from seasoned journalists Trish Worron, Kevin Scanlon and Mihal Zada.