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Let’s get right into it. Labour Day has passed and suddenly it’s no longer crass to campaign openly1. So all the launch parties are happening, and I’ve been gadding around town poking my nose in. I’m taking a different approach from usual this week, with more of a column than a series of reports, though you’ll find some news snippets on the end.
Let’s go, shall we? Yes.
Off to the airport
It’s always important to launch a re-election campaign well, and the team around incumbent mayor Josh Morgan put together a great event on Monday. A family-friendly barbecue at the Jet Aircraft Museum2, this Who’s Who of local municipal politics was a rewarding experience for any City Hall watcher. St. Thomas mayor Joe Preston was there with a hearty introduction (and endorsement) and, when Josh Morgan stepped up to the podium to speak, the listening crowd included eight current councillors, though only seven of them are running again.
Councillors David Ferreira, Elizabeth Peloza, Shawn Lewis, Jerry Pribil (the one who’s not running), Corrine Rahman, Peter Cuddy, Skylar Franke and Hadleigh McAlister were all there. Add Morgan and you have nine of the 15 council members. If this was Billy T’s we’d have to call an ombudsman. But it’s not council business - it’s politics, so fear not, it’s OK.
But it does leave us with a question: who was missing? Ward 4’s Susan Stevenson is running for mayor, of course, and has her own launch event this evening (Wednesday). Also missing were Anna Hopkins, Paul Van Meerbergen, Steve Hillier (who also isn’t running again), Sam Trosow and Steve Lehman. (I’m open to being corrected on this because I have elderly eyes.)
I noticed a few other candidates, too, including Ward 7’s Sam Hajar, Ward 8’s deadline-day filer Osam Ali, and Ward 10 challenger Alex Moore, alongside his wife Sherri Moore, incumbent candidate for TVDSB trustee, who had the best hat in the room.
A number of families came along to support the mayor and enjoy the event, which included ice cream. It wasn’t crowded, and it wasn’t sparse. There were perhaps 80-100 people there all told, plus a bunch of folks in the background making it happen.
Preston, who is stepping down as Mayor of St. Thomas at this election, gave a speech about the man he called “My friend Josh Morgan”, talking about getting things done with teamwork - including specific mention of homelessness. St. Thomas, you may remember, is winning plaudits for actually reducing homelessness.
Stepping up to speak under a gigantic maple leaf that would have been a better shot with more lighting, Morgan ran through his platform, claiming a series of successes starting with crime figures and quickly moving on to that homelessness issue, emblematic of his first term as mayor. And he reflected the views of many when he called for better partnership across government.
“I am very proud of the way we have transformed those 1,500 lives and we are going to help the others,” Morgan said, referring to his platform’s assertion about numbers of people helped into housing. “We need help from the provincial and federal governments to help them.”
Mayor Morgan spoke at length, talking of his work to have “a safe secure stable London”. On construction, he said: “I know it’s painful but this is generational.” He talked about that pain as infrastructure investment and seemed to suggest that one day London’s construction will indeed be finished. That’s got to be a good message for the voters.
Most of his other points are in the platform materials and easy to get online. I see pledges such as keeping tax raises around 3% and a promise to create a new downtown parking facility with help from the private sector, and of course other observers have picked out other aspects; you might check out this CTV London report for more.
Two events - two vibes
What’s important to understand is Morgan’s team ran a traditional launch for a traditional campaign. This is following expectations and a tried-and-tested path to re-election, assuming the numbers work. It’s my opinion that Susan Stevenson’s relative success is driving some folks to support Morgan as a safe pair of hands. On paper, at least, all Morgan has to do now is to keep going as expected. And he’s up for it - we exchanged a few words before the speech and he was chipper and full of energy. He fully intends to keep the mayor’s chain.
That’s the race, some would say. Those are the main candidates? Right? The two with city council experience? Surely, Shirley?3
Well then. But there is also Kirsten Krose.
Last night, I dropped into the Krose campaign launch at Joe Kools, where there were similar numbers to the Morgan launch but a very different setting and vibe. This downtown gathering was a more grassroots crowd than the ViP-littered Morgan launch. I’m no marketer, but I think I detected a demographic: affluent Londoners with something to say. I wondered if some of these supporters were new to engaging with politics and that is very interesting indeed.
And there were some local folks of note among Krose’s hip and happening crowd, many of them apparently part of her local biz network and social circle. I was happy to meet for the first time Stephanie Marentette, the former chair of the London Transit Commission and a candidate in Ward 6 against Sam Trosow. And I had a chance to say hi to Ward 3 candidate and school trustee Leroy Osbourne, who’s part of the crowd assailing Peter Cuddy, and I know there were other engaged citizens in the room, including a couple of trustee hopefuls.
When she was called on to make a speech, Krose knew her crowd. She spoke from the heart and off the cuff, apparently, thanking her friends in the room and setting out high-level principles, avoiding too much detail. Her short remarks seemed effective in getting her support enthusiastic for the campaign - the joint was jumpin’. She’s a good speaker, which should make the mayoral debate interesting next week; highlights from the Krose platform did follow, just in a nice PowerPoint that played afterwards.
The launch was covered by the ubiquitous Daryl Newcombe, CTV London reporter, and you can find his report here, if you want to see what made it to the tellybox last night4.
This event, though of course an early step on a long road, was a neat illustration that, in a First Past The Post contest, campaigns need to keep an eye on every opponent. With Susan Stevenson working hard to create new votes and activate her base and Josh Morgan seeking to retain his from last time, it will be interesting to see how the other 10 mayoral candidates can make an impact of their own. Don’t count Kirsten Krose out yet.
And, look out for Bronagh Morgan, who has an enthusiastic team of local activists and plenty to say. She has her campaign launch event on Sunday.
OK, that was a lot. Thanks for reading. Let’s do some other news now, after we recognize the most awesome lawyers in town…
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Candidate information and how to get it
I’m pleased to see more opportunities for voters to get to know their candidates, including the London Chamber of Commerce rolling survey that I shared last week, and all the coming Urban League ward debates, which you can find out about here:
Now Jack Moulton at the London Free Press has produced a rich and detailed piece here, asking candidates for a statement in their own words. That’s a lot of work, though, and I’m very happy to see full-time professionals take this on - just be aware of their paywall there.
(My own MEGAPOST post here has lots of useful links and other info, but is much messier and needs the last few candidates added; soon I’ll do that and probably reshare as a mini-relaunch.)
Meanwhile, back at City Hall…
Business continues. During the four-day week that, I would submit, serves us with Christmas-level stress every year, somehow we have a couple of the Standing Committees having regular meetings. This is the second-last procedural/bylaw approval cycle of the council term and the agendas aren’t stuffed, though our local media are paying attention, of course.
Here’s a double-header from Jack Moulton at the London Free Press, reporting on two bylaw conversations at Community and Protective Services on Tuesday: one for dangerous dogs and the other about owners of vacant buildings. Councillor Skylar Franke is leading the buildings conversation following the explosion in her ward a few weeks ago, as we’ve been reporting.
The committee unanimously backed Franke’s motion, sending staff off to examine tougher, more proactive rules for chronically non-compliant vacant buildings, while also advancing a dangerous-dog bylaw review that could introduce graduated penalties, tighter controls and a public registry.
And, this afternoon, a Planning and Environment Committee is happening. I still think planning issues are a key battleground in this election, due to the city-wide-yet-localized issue of infill housing, and will keep an eye out, as always. Here’s a preview of one Planning item, from CBC London’s Andrew Lupton, and it’s typical of these stories. This one’s about an eight-storey development on Sarnia Road, opposed by residents.
Almost there you guys, stick with it
A couple more stories to share and we’re done. First, the sign wars that show up every election have again begun, and social media is full of candidates saying somebody tore up their signs. And, amid that is a disturbing incident in which somebody added swastikas to Susan Stevenson signs. She’s filed a police report. Again, here’s Daryl.
And finally… any candidates out there with cold feet? You need to be tough, obviously. Running is a big commitment and when people give you a hard time it must be tempting to do something else instead.
One Ontario mayor is going with the thought and has changed his mind, backing out of his attempt to be re-elected. In this TVO report you can find out about Manitoulin’s Bryan Barker, who was running for a third term until he decided the job was just too much. Most of his council agree - all but one are bowing out.
That’s a tough read. I really feel for everyone involved, and I know it takes a lot of courage to run. Thank you, if you’re doing that. Our community needs engaged leaders. Thanks for caring enough to take part and to find out about the processes that run our city. Awareness of that in itself, makes us all better.
Enough
Thanks for reading, and for supporting everyone at The Loon. Diana has her Arts and Culture Roundup tomorrow and Steve will have a post on Friday. I’m back with the ROUNDUP.
All the best
- Mike
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London’s not snooty. Oh no.
That place is awesome. I took more photos of the museum than the event. Here’s its website.
I know this is expected now.
I’m slightly out of shot in all of his footage, because he’s a good egg and knows to avoid me.