A modest proposal to stimulate local economy
I just read Reid tops list of municipal election spenders, an article in my local newspaper about candidates’ campaign spending in our city’s November 2008 municipal election.
This caught my attention:
Collectively, Victoria’s councillors and mayor spent $120,422.47 on their campaigns.
Admittedly, it’s peanuts. But consider that municipal elections were held not just in our tight little municipality of the City of Victoria, but in all the twelve surrounding municipalities that constitute the Capital Regional District (CRD), or Victoria proper. (Canada Post calls it all Victoria; we should, too. All hail the Post Office.)
Imagine these amounts multiplied – even if not 13 times over, since the candidates in some of the smaller municipalities will have spent less, then at least four or five times over. That’s the sort of change that adds up, right?
So my modest proposal is to have annual municipal elections.
Currently they’re held every three years. But if we held them annually, we could really grease the wheels. With some smart marketing and leveraging of the socnets plus a YouTube channel or two, we could turn this into a “reality show” and get sponsored advertising!
At last, the process could be redeemed as something useful.
I think it was Ross Crockford who pointed out elections were an annual affair early in Victoria’s history.
Comment by robert randall — March 19, 2009 #
I like the idea. Light a fire under the winners since they only have a year to prove they are worthy of the position to which they were elected 🙂
Comment by Vikki Flawith — March 19, 2009 #