This weekend Windsor's City Councillors will be looking hard at determining how to effectively update our currently unbalanced ward system. Over the past 30 years there has been a disproportionate population growth from ward to ward with ward 1 (effectively South Windsor) seeing the largest spurt. As an example the imbalance works out to approximately 55,000 residents per councillor compared to 33,000 in Ward 2. All of this imbalance is a result of new subdivisions that have sprung up in South and East Windsor.
As it stands now the debate hinges on two proposals: A re-jigged five ward system with two councillors each or a ten ward system with one councillor per ward. A hand full of wannabe city councillors have threatened with an OMB challenge along with the bare minimum of cherry picked signatures needed to make it happen. Their rationale is pretty simple. They feel that they have a better chance of winning in a municipal election if Windsor's map is carved into more and smaller wards with what they feel is a lesser chance of being beat up by an incumbent councillor. They are asking for wholesale change that, if put into play will break Windsor into physical shards while some of the new challengers will become the next incumbents.
FRACTIOUS, UNFAMILIAR TEN WARD SYSTEM
Everyone involved including City Council and those who wish to unseat the current administration have to look at this more closely. The right choice for Windsor is only going to come from honest deliberation. There is not much wrong with the current ward configuration give for the population imbalance. That can be easily resolved with a minimum of boundary tweaks. The net result will be fairer representation and a very familiar ward system for the electorate. That's all that is really needed.
The Ten Ward System Undressed
First, lets take a look at who is calling for a ten ward system. Essentially it is a handful of people who are simply looking to dethrone the current council. Fair enough but why can't they do this by way of the traditional election process? They have already proven that they can muster 600 votes for the OMB appeal. Take that same show on the road and they are running for office. Chopping up the city map into smaller, easier parcels to better their odds for being elected might suggest volumes about how up to the task these players actually are.
Some argue that a ten ward system will give individual councillors equal clout. This is unfounded because Councillors are elected on the merit of their campaigns and they are re-elected on the merit of their track records. If they blow it at either level they are done. Its as easy as that.
Proponents of the ten ward system are hung up on accountability. They claim that ten Councillors from ten Wards will be more accountable than ten Councillors from five wards. They support this argument by suggesting that an ineffective Councillor will simply not be re-elected. Ahhh...That's the way it works now. Not an argument at all.
Another funny notion is that a ten ward system should increase interest in elections thereby increasing the amount of voters. Ask yourself this. Does buying swampland in Florida appeal to you? Look at the statistics for any other municipality and you will find that voter turnout is the same as it is here. Throw this one out.
A one Councillor per ward system will place a greater focus on a sitting member's voting record and agenda. All political shut-ins watch this stuff every week on TV and read about it every day in the paper. Voting records and agendas are very well known. Throw this one out too.
Some Councillors are freeloaders who let their ward mates do all the work. Ask any Councillor if this is true. Ask them who the freeloaders are. Non existent. So is this argument.
As one might deduce, there is only one argument that effectively supports a ten ward system. Population disparity. Sure...You can achieve it by cutting up the city into ten smaller bits; twenty if you want but that is akin to thickening the bureaucracy. Who wants that? Simply re-drawing the current five wards to level the playing field does the whole job.
Kiss Me
Imagine an actual election under a ten ward system. Assume two or three candidates per each of ten wards. All the lawn signs, radio adds, billboards and the repetitious thud of perpetual stumping. Who wants to go through all of that? If ever there was a pure application for K.I.S.S.
Everyone Has it Wrong
Councillors still reeling from the Gs of the CUPE strike may be overreacting to this left hook from out of nowhere. All they need do is take their time with this thing. It is important and it has ramifications for the future. A final decision is not an absolute for Monday evening. Weigh it out properly. Ask yourself who has the most to gain from such a change? True conviction is the best bet.
Proponents for the ten ward approach should be wary of those who are stoking them. A ten ward system will not play out as favourably as one might think. In fact it might be a grave tactical error. The incumbents will actually have an easier go of it in a ten ward system because there will be more challengers. And with that comes a split vote which almost always favours the incumbent. If convictions are strong and correct then change can easily be had within the current election process. An even distribution of voters in a five ward system is as good as an even distribution of voters in a ten ward system. Challengers will just have to work harder for it. Show us what you are made of.
SIMPLE, BALANCED, FAMILIAR FIVE WARD SYSTEM
