The Most Important Issue in This Election

There is one overriding issue that I believe is critical to the success of the next Council term and the future of our community.  It didn’t really come up in the all-candidates meetings, and you won’t likely hear about it from the Councillor candidates themselves.  But you need to consider it when marking your ballot.  It’s the “elephant in the room” (or the “moose on the table”, to use Jim Clemmer’s more Canadian metaphor). 

Looking back over my past two terms on Whitestone Council, I am generally proud of the way Whitestone Councillors have worked together and what we have been able to accomplish, especially in a time of adversity like we have experienced since early 2020. But the past two years have been fractious, and our Council has at times been dysfunctional.

That’s not because we were in a pandemic, or because there were contentious planning or budgeting issues to contend with.  It’s because one incumbent Councillor, with the support of a second, took to engaging in personal attacks against those who dared to disagree with him – including his fellow Councillors, staff, and members of the community at large – and to conducting and encouraging disinformation campaigns on social media for the purpose of dividing the community.

This candidate keeps making the point that “we need to reinforce that staff work under the direction of Council, not vice versa“.  This statement is code for his belief that, as an individual Councillor, he gets to tell staff what to do, and to criticize and abuse them if they don’t follow his direction.  Earlier this year, he was found guilty by Whitestone’s Integrity Commissioner of breaching the Municipality’s Code of Conduct by bullying and attempting to direct staff.  (You can read the Integrity Commissioner’s report dated February 9th, 2022 on the Municipal website at  whitestone.ca/p/integrity-commissioner ).

I have no problem with disagreements on Council.  I believe diversity in Councillors’ backgrounds and viewpoints helps us to see all sides of an issue and make the best decision.  In the end, most Whitestone Council decisions are by unanimous consent, and the rest involve some compromise.  But when disagreements devolve into abusive behaviour and personal attacks, trust and goodwill are broken, and progress on substantive issues becomes difficult or impossible.  Good governance requires that, once a decision is made by majority vote of the council or board, all members must accept and support that decision. 

That is the situation we are in today.  Two of our sitting Councillors who have worked hard for you during their time on Council have decided not to seek re-election because they have “had enough” of the hostile atmosphere.  That should be a warning bell to us all!

I respectfully suggest to you that the most important criterion in choosing who will sit on Whitestone Council is not the candidate’s position on a new Official Plan, environmental protection, improvements to our land use planning processes, or the many other important matters that have come up for discussion thus far in the campaign.  (And it’s most certainly not their position on decisions of the past Council that have been or are in the process of being implemented.)  Rather, it’s their willingness to work with their Council colleagues, municipal staff, and community volunteers to address the tasks and decisions before us in a spirit of respect, goodwill, and collaboration.  I see this willingness as a matter of personal integrity – without which we can contribute little of value, despite our knowledge or years of experience. 

So why does this election issue matter so much to the next four years and the long-term future of  Whitestone?  It matters because the negative behaviour I have just referred to has placed Whitestone in the spotlight with our Parry Sound District neighbours and the Ontario Government.  Once again, they are asking the question that was asked 22 years ago when the Municipality of Whitestone was created:  Are the people of Whitestone up to the task of governing themselves?

Let me be clear:  I say we are!  But if the new Council is not seen to be working respectfully, harmoniously, and effectively together, I am concerned that we will have an upper tier of government and/or amalgamation imposed on us.  Any such move would have serious negative consequences for Whitestone, including higher taxes, and loss of control over many local decisions.  And even if we retain our independence, we will be unable to attract and retain competent municipal staff, and our service to the public will deteriorate as a result.

I will continue to oppose vigorously any attempt to impose an additional layer of governance on us or to  amalgamate us with other municipalities.   I will also do my best to work collaboratively with whomever else is elected to Whitestone Council on October 24th.  But I won’t be voting for any candidate who thinks it’s OK to bully others, and I hope you won’t either.   We cannot afford to have Councillors with axes to grind, vested interests, or a psychological need to control others.

The bottom line is this….   Whitestone Council has important work to do in the next four years to plan and build Whitestone’s future and realize its full potential.  No doubt some “heavy lifting” will be required.  To accomplish that work, we need Councillors who are team players, committed to working together and with our staff in a spirit of trust and goodwill.   We need Councillors who are prepared to roll up their sleeves and pitch in, not sit on the side lines and throw rocks at those who are trying to get it done.  What we don’t need, and can’t afford, are Councillors who are prone to tactics of bullying, intimidation, harassment, and the like to advance their personal agendas.

Thanks for your support.  Here’s to a great future for the people of Whitestone!