2018 Municipal Election: Toronto Council Races

[animatronic]

Was "Board of Control" elected?

Councillors at large might work. What I suggest is ~25 Councillors, 4 "Deputy Mayors" and 1 Mayor. You have multiple representation, so even if your Councillor is sub-par, you have another avenue to have your voice heard. The Mayor and 4 Deputies will have intense media coverage, so people will be informed when they make this choice. Even the 25 Councillors will get a bit more media coverage that the 44 do now - meaning a slightly more informed public.

Lastman sat on the North York board before becoming mayor.

 

[animatronic]

Term limits are a response to the problem of municipal incumbency. As others noted, long-serving reps can be both good and bad.

A more effective solution to the problem is municipal political parties. When municipal politicians are forced to stand by positions it is easier to differentiate them and dump them when the public mood changes. Parties also have a moderating effect on candidates, though Ford shows that this isn’t always the case.

 

[Skeezix]

Was "Board of Control" elected?

Councillors at large might work. What I suggest is ~25 Councillors, 4 "Deputy Mayors" and 1 Mayor. You have multiple representation, so even if your Councillor is sub-par, you have another avenue to have your voice heard. The Mayor and 4 Deputies will have intense media coverage, so people will be informed when they make this choice. Even the 25 Councillors will get a bit more media coverage that the 44 do now - meaning a slightly more informed public.

It was elected. Members were called Controllers. Sounds kind of Orwellian to me, but that's century-old Ontario municipal legislation for you.

I don't buy your argument that media coverage would be more effective, or that it would lead to more effective governance. Speculative at best.

When Toronto first amalgamated in 1998, the wards were based on federal ridings, and each ward had two councillors. It was effectively a mini Councillor-at-large scenario, since every resident had two representatives, and in theory each Councillor was less beholden to one geographic area. Each Councillor also had a competing Councillor in the ward. The Councillors absolutely hated it, which in my mind is good reason to investigate doing it on a larger scale.

 

[Skeezix]

Term limits are a response to the problem of municipal incumbency.

A terrible response, but agreed.

 

[dowlingm]

Term limits are a response to the problem of municipal incumbency. As others noted, long-serving reps can be both good and bad.

A more effective solution to the problem is municipal political parties. When municipal politicians are forced to stand by positions it is easier to differentiate them and dump them when the public mood changes. Parties also have a moderating effect on candidates, though Ford shows that this isn’t always the case.

At least in the current council environment, it's possible for representatives to take an unorthodox view on something. Municipal parties put pressure on representatives to "damn their principles, stick to their party"

 

[Avenue]

I also don't understand the point of term limits either. Somewhere like Dan Valley East will always manage to elect someone like DMW who will promise the filthy rich constituents the least public spending. Whatever ward Mammoliti is from will always elect Mammoliti Jr. People kind of assume the wards where the bad councillors come from are somehow better places. They are not.

 

[Skeezix]

How would term limits have helped Ward 2 escape the Fords?

Answer: It wouldn't.

 

[animatronic]

It was elected. Members were called Controllers. Sounds kind of Orwellian to me, but that's century-old Ontario municipal legislation for you.

Controller is an anglicized version of comptroller, which is itself derived from the French word for accounts. In this context it literally means budget manager.

 

[animatronic]

How would term limits have helped Ward 2 escape the Fords?

Answer: It wouldn't.

At 2 terms apiece, they'd make it to 2038 on the Ks alone.

 

[zang]

How would term limits have helped Ward 2 escape the Fords?

Answer: It wouldn't.

How would subverting the desires of a ward have been respectful of democracy? It wouldn't.

Part of democracy is respecting that some people are going to vote for those you don't like or feel don't deserve the position (because obviously, from constituents viewpoint, they do).

 

[W. K. Lis]

Warning. Sam Moini is running as a candidate for Councillor in Ward 29. He is for having Yonge Street to be a want-to-be-expressway.

From link.

 

[adma]

How would term limits have helped Ward 2 escape the Fords?

Answer: It wouldn't.

Well, George Wallace anointed his wife Lurleen once his two terms were up, remember. And then there's the Putin-Medvedev thing...

 

[WislaHD]

No Troisi yet? I am guessing that will happen when it get close to the candidacy deadline.

AoD

She said she wouldn't run.

I think she also knows that she wouldn't win.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd vote Bailao, who has a somewhat more progressive track record, particularly on housing and neighbourhood-level issues.

On paper yes.

In practice, Palacio arguably has a more progressive voting record than Bailao this term. Bailao has really just been terrible when it matters, and a Tory puppet otherwise.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

She said she wouldn't run.
I think she also knows that she wouldn't win.

Words are meaningless - action is everything. I suppose we won't really know until the deadline - and I am not counting out that possibility until then.

AoD

 

[adma]

In practice, Palacio arguably has a more progressive voting record than Bailao this term. Bailao has really just been terrible when it matters, and a Tory puppet otherwise.

All the same, I can see the both of them getting a "progressive" opponent splitting the vote 3 ways--it's *that* kind of ward...