Should Toronto Have A Set Of Standards for Potential Mayors?

[EnviroTO]

As a final word, while some politicians are underqaulified, so are a lot of voters.

Which is the biggest issue. The population seems to be paying less and less attention to what politicians are doing. That might partly be the fault of the media, but it is also by choice of the voter. The CBC's National has always struck me as the news broadcast that covers federal politics to the greatest degree, but it seems to be less watched that it once was. Local news never followed local politics very well and seems to focus only on controversies now. It required reading local newspapers which now don't do as much political reporting as they once did. Far more people show up at the polls than actually follow politics closely. We focus on the percentage turnout for the vote and say more people need to come out, but really more people need to get involved or informed. Either get involved to the degree that you find out how your councilor votes on issues important to you (and when those votes occur) or even better go to the local events that councillors or agencies hold to get public feedback. Rob Ford, a person who often was the only dissenting vote should not have won the election OR significantly more councillors should have been replaced. You can't really say your councillor represents your views and Rob Ford represents your views if both for years voted opposite ways. The outcome of the election makes no sense if we were to assume a fully informed public.

 

[spider]

Part of the problem is that we are inundated daily by reams of mostly biased political trivia dished up by commentators who are as bored by the whole charade as are the readers but must deliver 500 or 1,000 words to their editor on a defined schedule whether the piece makes any sense or not. Never ending political commentary and conjecture gradually takes on the same urgency and credibility as advertising in our busy lives which is to say we just ignore it.

 

[uptown]

Maybe voting should be restricted to land-owning males too!

Just because you didn't like the outcome of the election doesn't mean the system is in need of a ridiculous overhaul.

 

[adma]

In general, a statement like "A candidate for mayor may not have ever been an NDP member." should be enough to render spider a quasi-McCarthyist fringe nutcase--more like that, and Urban Toronto might as well be alt.planning.toronto.urban, or wherever the Libertrollians form their ghetto...

 

[Irishmonk]

Perhaps voters should have to have a post secondary degree, or pass a basic political/economic knowledge test. (Cue the outrage)

 

[jje1000]

Perhaps voters should have to have a post secondary degree, or pass a basic political/economic knowledge test. (Que the outrage)

'Cue'.

 

[Irishmonk]

'Cue'.

Thanks. (the irony).

"...where nothing could possiblie go wrong... That's the first thing that's ever gone wrong."

 

[junctionist]

Just because you didn't like the outcome of the election doesn't mean the system is in need of a ridiculous overhaul.

I agree with this comment. The formal education requirements outlined above by CanadianNational can still result in subpar politicians, while some intelligent individuals with excellent leadership skills would be excluded. We need to foster a culture in which knowledge over the key issues of running a city is closely scrutinized at election time and simple sound bite platforms are shot down. The media may be the ones in the best position to shape the debate in this way, but so are influential celebrities and well-known academics.

 

[Paleo]

Maybe voting should be restricted to land-owning males too!

That would be most excellent news indeed! I was thinking of becoming a land-owner and a male in the near future but this would seal it.

 

[Anth]

more like that, and Urban Toronto might as well be alt.planning.toronto.urban, or wherever the Libertrollians form their ghetto...

Ironic considering UT has already become an equivalent ghetto of the left. It's virtually impossible to have an opposing point of view here anymore without being piled on by the young-and-angry brigade.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Anth:

That's bit of an exaggeration - besides you did post your opposing POV on here wanting to be challenged right (otherwise it's Free Dominion for you )? Granted there are some rather poorly argued piling on happening (and quite frankly the inability to argue properly among those from the left just weakens ones' case that much more).

re: qualifications

Unfortunately, leadership traits are more than just education or participation in non-profit activities. If I am harsh, I'd argue RF is a reflection of a significant portion of the electorate (you can connect the dots in between, with regards to competence, etc). Demanding politicians to jump through hoops doesn't change that fundamental question about the degree of engagement and competence among those who vote - history is littered with voters going for shady characters, esp. during tough times.

AoD

 

[Anth]

(otherwise it's Free Dominion for you )?

Hah, I tend to lean right more in the traditional Euro sense than in the neo-con Free Dominion sense, but point taken

FWIW, I have to agree with those against requiring a degree. Holding one is virtually meaningless in terms of intelligence, competence, work ethic, etc., especially these days. A leader mainly needs to be confident and charismatic but modest enough to delegate above all else anyway. Filling gaps in vision and strategy are what advisors are for.

 

[thepatrickblack]

While I'm no fan of Ford, he was democratically elected by the people of this city to serve as Mayor even after his record on council and his private life antics were well publicized by the media.

Agreed. People elect the leaders they deserve. We need Ford if for no other reason to teach his converted supporters to do their research.

 

[EMP1729]

What happens when nobody "qualified" wants the job in the first place? Then what?

 

[Hipster Duck]

I agree with this comment. The formal education requirements outlined above by CanadianNational can still result in subpar politicians, while some intelligent individuals with excellent leadership skills would be excluded. We need to foster a culture in which knowledge over the key issues of running a city is closely scrutinized at election time and simple sound bite platforms are shot down. The media may be the ones in the best position to shape the debate in this way, but so are influential celebrities and well-known academics.

What about if we moved away from representative democracy and more toward participatory democracy?

What I mean by this is that we get rid of general elections and representative politicians. In its place, we get people who are genuinely concerned about issues to be directly involved in crafting the policy. If people have a stake in an issue, they will generally take the time to research the issue and craft their stance, no matter which side they're on. People who don't care or don't know about an issue need not be involved. If they become interested, however, they're free to join in.