The Editor,
To paraphrase Mark Twain ..... If voting actually made a difference, it would be made illegal.
Cynicism? No, its been the reality since the first election was held, contemporary histories with the “grand illusion” of accountable representation.
Given the majority of candidates have announced their intent to be on the ballot, in mid-November, many voters will pursue this increasingly futile exercise called “democracy.”
Richmond’s history has been to recycle incumbents ... on merit or simply name recognition with well-funded party backing?
Any electoral upsets looming?
As a long-time Richmond resident, I can recall only two major issues that dramatically affected Richmond Council make-up.
The first was the $1.49 day Woodwards’ Lansdowne Mall issue in the early 1970s, which brought in many new councillors and elected Gil Blair for mayor.
The second was the contentious Terra Nova issue in the late 1980s in which councillor Greg Halsey-Brandt challenged and ousted Mayor Blair.
Unfortunately, many voters were under the impression that upset would actually create change, but it was business as usual and continues to this day.
What inspired this letter was some recent comments made by an incumbent council member seeking re-election as mayor who stated that annual tax hikes are a “necessity” and “growth” is the only alternative to decline.
That can be interpreted to imply taxes will increase (and consequently compound) far beyond the local residents ability to afford them, and that we can expect unbridled growth to continue to destroy neighbourhoods and increasingly displace long-term residents and businesses.
This further implies that city hall spending is out of control and the Richmond taxpayer is on the hook for these un-mandated whims and indulgences by cliques at city hall.
Finally, one of my favourite oft-repeated attitudes of a veteran councillor (and who ironically was elected during the Gil Blair purge) is that once elected, we voters have to trust their decisions. They say “trust us”, which I interpret as an unbridled, blank-cheque mandate (and with only approximately 25 per cent voter turnout, yet).
Based on a lot of personal research and experience, I have to conclude Richmond elections are a charade and have been for decades.
Up until the 1960s, there were various citizen committees. Some of these committees had 30-plus people providing grass roots input into the city’s overall decision-making process.
Over time, as the bureaucracy grew, these committees became ignored and frustrated by city staff to the point of dissolution, all while our elected councils allowed this to occur.
In essence, the decisions are made in the back rooms and the charade of “your vote counts” is maintained between and during elections.
Time to wake up, Richmond citizens.
R. A. Hoegler
Richmond
