Unless there’s a rush of additional candidates who file over the next 10 days, many municipalities in Grey Bruce are staring at the prospect of not having enough people to fill the available seats at their council tables.
As it stands today in Owen Sound there are multiple candidates seeking the mayor and deputy mayor positions, but all six people vying for council positions would be acclaimed. And that would still leave the city one councillor short of the seven seats at the table.
A similar story is unfolding in other municipalities across Bruce and Grey counties.
In Georgian Bluffs, only two people have submitted nomination papers to seek one of the five council seats. No one has filed to run for deputy mayor.
Northern Bruce Peninsula is still one candidate short of filling its three council seats.
While there’s interest in the mayor and deputy mayor positions in Chatsworth, only one person has launched a bid for council. In Arran-Elderslie, not a single candidate for two of the ward seats.
And Saugeen Shores is still one candidate short of filling one of two ward councillor positions for former Saugeen Township. As for the rest of the councillor, mayor and deputy mayor positions in Saugeen Shores? Not one single race yet 10 days away from the filing deadline — all of the positions are on track to be acclaimed if no additional candidates register.
Why is there a lack of candidates in some municipalities in the region right now?
Grey Highlands Deputy Mayor Aakash Desai believes part of the reason is because “the public atmosphere has changed.” He is not seeking re-election this fall after serving two terms and says the harsh online criticism councillors are subjected to is part of the reason he is moving on.
Desai recalls a decision made at the Grey County council table during this term to pause the redevelopment of Grey Gables long-term care home in Markdale that he voted in favour of. He says it resulted in a “significant amount of vitriol directed at him” personally online.
“It’s almost like we’ve forgotten how to disagree. There’s a lot of vitriol against people who make a decision that the public doesn’t necessarily agree with,” Desai explains. “I’m not as surprised (about lower candidate interest) as I would have been in 2018. But I think it paints a bit of a bleak picture for local democracy if we don’t have enough people running.”
Desai says he remains hopeful more people will choose to engage in local politics. He adds some younger people with interest in getting involved have reached out to him to learn more about his experience.
What about compensation? Most councillors in Grey Bruce municipalities receive annual salaries in the range of $20,000 to $26,000 — not enough for the job to serve as a full-time occupation. Mayors and deputy mayors earn higher salaries and are also paid for their work as county councillors.
Desai acknowledges this challenge but insists he doesn’t have any issue with the financial compensation he receives and says “no one is doing local politics for the money, they’re doing it because they care about the community they live in and they believe in a better future for that community.”
Owen Sound Coun. John Tamming shared a similar view and says he believes councillor positions are more than fairly compensated.
Tamming was elected in 2018 and after serving one term he’s decided he won’t be running again.
He called his experience as a councillor one of the most interesting things he’s done in his adult life, but acknowledges it’s a major commitment and thinks that may be one of the things holding people back from getting involved in municipal politics.
“Most of what councillors do consists of meetings, both city council as a whole and a number of committees,” Tamming says. “I suspect one reason people perhaps are not running for office is because it does represent a very big bite out of one’s time.”
Tamming says he hopes more people come forward ahead of next week’s registration deadline because local councils need experienced people with backgrounds in business, engineering and other professions at the table.
The nomination deadline for the 2022 municipal and school board elections is 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19. You can find additional information about becoming a councillor or school board trustee candidate on your municipality’s website.
