So, what is your theory as to why this happened? Is it because all the blame was put on the Mayor? Is it because the challengers to the incumbents were not convincing enough? Was it that they ran poor campaigns? Was it the cash factor- corporate/union donations anyone? Was it that there were too many challengers, enabling some incumbents to slip through? Was it a combination of all these factors and more? Was it a loyal base? Or is it because we truly believe that many of the councillors from the last term are the best people to lead us in the next four years?
How do you interpret what happened, and what factors do you think played most heavily in shaping the outcome?
We haven't checked in with CHML's Scott Thompson. We hope he hasn't suffered a coronary ;-)
I don't know how many people are really engaged in understanding local politics and decisions. I think many still vote based on name recognition. We're sure not voting based on capabilities of the candidates- that much is for sure. Look at the lifers we just voted back in. Get ready for more of the same unless Bratina kicks butt!
ReplyDeleteI'm going with something in the water supply.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is a conundrum, and a headscratcher that so many incumbents were returned and often barely challenged. It is disappointing. There needs to be some fresh thinking and differing ways of doing business on city council. Bratina is certainly not the one who can deliver that so the prospects are bleak.
ReplyDeleteI believe that financial support & name recognition had a huge bearing on the outcome, new candidates no matter how credible they may be are @ a huge disadvantage as they don't have the war chest that the career politician has! Voter apathy is also a huge issue which quite frankly I am @ a loss to explain. I followed this election more closely than any in the past & thought we had a real opportunity for change! Watching almost every debate on cable 14 I was impressed with many of the new candidates running in the various wards, not just my own! I congratulate all of them for stepping up & certainly hope to see a lot of them back in four years! I fear we will see another 4 years of dysfunction @ City Hall...what a shame!
ReplyDeleteBratina needs everyone's support. We need to stand behind him.
ReplyDeleteWe can already see councillors forming to impede him, http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/271792--bratina-s-temper-agenda-worry-council
I see Whitehead's statement as a thinly veiled threat; Terry Whitehead says Bratina will ignore their concerns at his peril. “He needs nine votes to make things happen and I can tell you right now he'll be given every opportunity to lead and do the right thing for the community,” Whitehead said.
“But if he starts going south, I think there are some strong-willed people on that council who are quite prepared to basically keep moving forward with or without him.”
Has anyone considered the effect of the number of advance polls in this election? Certainly, advance polls are necessary but the opportunity to vote before being informed about all the candidates and their qualifications had to have an effect. Many older residents, especially, voted too early to know what the new candidates had to offer. Convenience, for them, not issues led to the votes for name recognition.
ReplyDeleteIncumbent councillors shunned open debate except for those on Channel 14. Not many residents watch Channel 14. Some cannot even access the community channel, and others prefer entertainment to information.
Too many young potential voters spurn municipal elections declaring themselves apolitical or unable to make a difference.
I often wonder whether the democratic process is flawed or, perhaps, we, who can take part in the democratic process, are prone to take the easy way rather than the right way.
Bratina may "need to get everyone's support" but he'll only get it if his policies deserve such support.
ReplyDeleteIt is my view that Councillor Whitehead's comment was prudent, and not inflammatory - by blocking Bratina "going south" I think he means that any and all negatively amateurish or counterproductive initiatives that may come from the mayor's office can, and will, be dealt with appropriately by council as a whole. Our form of local municipal government is not a one man show. I concur with Councillor Whitehead.
Whitehead needed to go along with Jackson, Pearson, Duvall, Morelli, Powers and all the other lifers club. I'm su[pporting Bob till he screws up big time. But he's cool and no fool.
ReplyDeleteElvis P. Out
Stoney creek/Winona got it part way right. They turfed out Mitchell. Clark slithered by and Pearson is funded by the developers/
ReplyDeleteIt's time spending limits and contributions were looked at. I am sure that once the figures are released we will find that in each ward the incumbent was the candidate who received the greatest amount of dollars in contributions and also spent the most on the campaign. Could these contributions be attributed to rewards for favours done during the last term and expected favours during the next? Contributors may back off from new candidates because they do not know what they will get in return for their investment. Once we see the lower campaign expenses of non incumbents and what some of the incumbents spent the decision should be made to cut down the amount allowed spent to create a level playing field. This will never happen though because it would be the politicians making the decision and they are more out to protect their empires. So much for integrity.
ReplyDeleteOnly one word is needed to truly understand what happened. Spectator. This one word you can easily fix by canceling your subscription (and encouraging others too). Money is the only thing these imperious, judgmental folks understand. Hit 'em where it hurts. Besides, with the Hamiltonian and RTH, and all your comments, who needs the Spec anyways?
ReplyDeleteOur democratic processes also need fixing but we blew our last best chance in the MMP referendum.
If we look at the motions that were passed most recently by council,you will find a couple of interesting factsthat may explain the dysfunctions at the polling stations.
ReplyDeleteFirst we introduced several 21 I know of advance polling stations, and special advanced polls. This cost was about 20,000 plus for each. There was no time for training on these new electronic tabulator and finding recruits to train at the last minute was difficult.
The fact that the date of the election was moved too October 25th - two weeks early than previous elections.
I dont think other municipalities did this, maybe a few.
The time frame from when council endorced these changes and the time to implement was one of the major causes of the organizied chaos at the polling stations.
The advanced polls constituted for over 50% of the votes where incumbents we had hoped would loose their seat too change won - by a landslide of 5,000-6,000 votes
It is fair to note that these advanced poll dates,(approved by council) were open, in some cases 18 days prior to the election.
It stands to reason the incumbents, the councillors who passed these motions to:
a)increase polling stations and push the advanced polls ahead by three weeksin some cases;
b)push the voting day from November to October 25th two weeks earlier.
Talk about a voting pressure cooker..
Why do we have October 25th, voting day then. Pick a day... anyday... what the heck!!!
Many of the candidates campaigns kicked off at the end of September, not to mention the advanced polls had already occurred when Cable 14 aired many of the Wards All Candidates Question and Answer Debate.
These issues that surround this election need to addressed and fixed.
..and just to add fire to the fuel
We are still in a pilot project state, with these electronic voting tabulators.
Have there been results, outcomes and evaluations done on these tabulators to convince us they are working?
My understanding is the manufacturers of these tabulators, will not release any information regarding the brain, the code of these devices.
It is top secret, meaning the glitches and malfunctions are a secret as well.
Hey, I just heard politics is the second oldest profession, is that true?
ReplyDeletelol
Incumbents by and large will always win.
ReplyDeleteFirst, they start off with the advantage of incumbency - name recognition, campaign contributions,a list of constituents they have served.
Second, to swim against this tide, challengers need to be seen and heard in the media and we know for sure that the MSM consciously sidelines these challengers and when they do give them coverage they somewhat ridicule them. Note the treatment they meted out to candidate Mahesh Butani.
There are instances when our local Rag has coordinated a campaign against some incumbents such as Merling, Gallagher, Murray,and they got unseated. But these have been few and far between.
Until the MSM properly cover election campaigns I see little hope for challengers to the status quo.
Tom's right on this one.
ReplyDeleteElvis P. Out
Not too mention much change happens in a month prior to the election.
ReplyDeleteLook what came out at the end with DiIanni using the police emblem to look like they were supporting him.. that swayed a few people in the other direction.. but alas, the landslide of the encumbents, happened in the Advance Polls, way before the public had all the information.
The media coverage of the candidates I am sorry was pathetic. Non existent. Why I do not know.
Changes to the Elections Act and to the Municipal Act is imminent if we are going to get rid of the Status Quo and move forward.
Just a heads up people, according to the official results of the election posted on
ReplyDeletehttp://old.hamilton.ca/clerk/election/2010-election-results/default.asp.
in 2006 election 227 polling stations counted, according the official results,
in 2010 there were 207 I don't get it... yet
considering there was an increase in polls this year..
MAB
It is amazing that only three councillors were changed in this election. One was not running any more so does that one count. The other became the mayor, also does not count and Well Dave Mitchell was he really a councillor. I guess Ward 11 is the only ward that woke up. So we fired one councillor and yes perhaps the worse of the bunch;but putting a new mayor in with the same dirty players does not seem like progress to me.
ReplyDeleteReferences to The Spectator as a significant influence in the election outcome is "bang on". For example, an article published about campaign managers including pictures of an incumbent's signs and t-shirts was worth its weight in gold. We decry "leaks" to the press but fail to remember why they happen. I am convinced that some incumbents are indebted to journalists who provide such free and biased advertising during the campaign.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: why do the ballots have to printed up so early? Surely the city could have them printed closer to the actual vote so that those who decide to drop out midway through a campaign do not remain on the ballot! In one of the wards 2 candidates dropped out early but still captured 6% of the vote! In this case it probably wouldn't have made a differance however in a tighter race it certainly could change the outcome! I'm sure whoever prints these ballots could do it with a shorter turnaround time! I also strongly agree with Tom Robertson regarding campaign contributions & spending, the playing field must be leveled & I've stated this in previous posts!Perhaps we should consider trying an election without advanced polls or @ least only have 1
ReplyDeleteHenrietta- Bang on!!! I think The Hamiltonian should go to print.
ReplyDeleteI agree we have to many advanced polls with little outcomes to warrant the cost, confusion and security issues.
ReplyDeleteThose running should not be endorsed by business, unions, corporations etc
We need more of a level playing field... the cats would nt like it if the Argos started playing with steel knuckles...under their tape
Sadly, majority of the people who vote, vote for the name that they know. Majority of them are senior citizens.
ReplyDeleteWhen you go to the bank daily. You'll see 10-15 Senior Citizens lined up for the bank. Even though they can easily go to the bank machine and not have to wait for 45 minutes, THEY refuse to CHANGE.
Same thing with election. Not to be mean, but we won't see any Change until the Senior Population starts to die off and we have a more informed voter.
Someone that is 60 plus in age, are NOT in favor of change in anything and that includes politics, they are the ones who are part of the majority of voters, hence we have the same BS for 20 years.
If Hamiltonians were smart, they would line up behind Bob and make sure he has the support he needs to fight off these career politicians who think they could upsurg the whole system. Go bob!!!!
ReplyDeletePeople criticze Bob for throwing tantrums. Well, we have been throwing tantrums all along about this lousy council we've had, who are back in for the most part. So maybe, we're just like Bob, and that's why Bob is voted in.Ever think of that?
ReplyDeleteCal. Thanks again man. You know what i mean.
ReplyDeleteElvis P. out
Hamiltonians have already lined up behind Bratina -- they voted the chap in. How much more handholding does he want from a detached voter group? The 61% who did not vote, he can forget about ever getting them on board. He's on his own. And as tough and standup as some people think he is, when councillors don't keep agreeing with him, he'll show his true colours. He cannot take opposition of any kind. He's a bully. Bullys are only as good as the last fight they win.
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ with the anonymous comment suggesting that the deaths of the senior population will bring a "more informed voter" to the fore.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has campaigned or followed voting campaigns understands that the youth of today are unlikely to vote, especially in municipal elections, elections that are less glamorous than party-based campaigns.
And, what kind of change are the young candidates espousing when they deliberately follow in the footsteps of the old boys' ways of doing things during campaigns? Look at the hundreds upon hundreds of signs plastered along public property on the Saturday before the election. What kind of change did that signify? I would venture to say that those who put up those signs, knowingly breaking the law, were not "60 plus in age". They, too, refused to change.
Being a 60 plus voter I take offence to the statement we need to die off in order to get an informed electorate! Wow I even have a computer to reply to that post, & I got rid of my rotary phone yrs ago didn't have call display & oh yea have a cell phone too!I believe that civics should be given more attention & be taught in our schools & not just as an option,perhaps our elected officials should be encouraged to spend some time in our schools speaking to our young people about issues pertaining to the city they reside in!Regarding the sign issue perhaps election signage should be abolished altogether! That being said the playing field has to leveled by way of a campaign expenditure cap thus giving newcomers a fighting chance @ success!
ReplyDeleteSmart people don't run for politics- especially locally. Look around...Did we get Mark Chamberlain, Cal DiFalco, or other smart and good people running? NO. We got the same ole. Expect the same ole.
ReplyDeleteThis is very simple. Mayor Fred took one for the sorry tean he led- or tried to lead. The lifers got off scott free Another 4 year freak show.
ReplyDeleteI think Cal DiFalco is the man to run our City. Lets hope we survive these next four years and truly hope that Mr. DiFalco will consider running in the next election. He has what our city needs - intellegence, the drive, and the power to make change happen.
ReplyDeleteRay
If Bob thinks that he can emulate a Harper style approach, he's sadly mistaken. A tea bagger for a Mayor. Only time will tell how good he'll be and what legacy he leaves behind. Hey Bob try to keep your ahead above water, the sharks will begin circling December 1. A last tidbit of advice, your not accountable to council but the 1/2 million people who live in this city, don't lose sight of this.
ReplyDeleteIf Cal DiFalco runs for mayor we would have a chance at having a city with strength. Four years passes fast. Let's all hope in the meantime Bob holds us together. I think the Hamiltonian would be great in print. Thank you to the team at the Hamiltonian for this thought provoking platform.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if the locations of the new advanced polling stations, were chosen by each of the incumbents. Their input or vote as too where they felt they should be located? High in their favour voter support areas maybe?
ReplyDeleteIs there any data to support the new added advance polling stations were put in an area that benefited the incumbent in that ward.
Some of the polling stations locations were in elementry public schools, putting them at risk of strangers.
In areas that just didnt cater to the convienience of our voters......
Who gets to choose the locations? And what criteria were they chosen ...
To MAB, you may want to contact CATCH as they sit in on every council meeting and keep records of votes. I'm sure someone from the CATCH team would know that answer.
ReplyDeleteAbout CATCH:
CATCH (Citizens at City Hall) is a volunteer community group that encourages civic participation in Hamilton. Our members attend and report on meetings of city councillors and other City committees, and carry out related research and activities.
We issue regular news updates to our email list using recordings and transcripts of meetings and/or other public documents to highlight information about Hamilton civic affairs that is not generally available in the mass media.
Join our email list and receive the free CATCH news updates. Just send us an email: info@hamiltoncatch.org.
Come to a committee or council meeting and talk to the CATCH volunteer who is monitoring the meeting. We are usually located on the east side of the Council Chambers, at the end of the media counter that is closest to Main Street. Just ask if the person there is with CATCH and introduce yourself. You can watch the meeting just like any other citizen or you may be able to assist the CATCH monitor, and become more familiar with what she/he does.
You can become a CATCH monitor and attend and record meetings, including various committees. Most CATCH activists focus on one particular committee (they usually meet once or twice a month at a regular time).
We need people to transcribe tapes. This is a task that can be easily taken up by someone who has difficulty attending meetings, or wants to limit their involvement to a few hours at a time. It would be helpful if you have a tape recorder and a computer.
You can invite a CATCH member to talk to your group or organization.
We also do research related to City issues, including related activities of municipal governments in other parts of Ontario. Let us know if you'd like to work on this aspect of our work, or just forward information you think might be of interest.
For more information, email us at info@hamiltoncatch.org.
"The more freely information flows, the stronger a society becomes. Citizens can hold their own government accountable. They can begin to think for themselves. That generates new ideas and encourages creativity." - Barack Obama 2009
Good morning everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of the advance poll increase was to promote larger voter turnout. If this is the case, I am perplexed on why Mac lost its station. (10 voters in 2006)
The price tag for each poll, according to the City of Hamilton Website is $20,000.00 The voter increase in advance polls was 180 for Ward 13.
In this election, does that mean that we spent at least another $40,000.00 in each Ward (-1) plus the Mayoral ? Could that money not have been better spent in educating our teens ? Encouraging our University students ? Engaging society as a whole, on who is running and what is at stake for their community ?
I agree with the comments that refer to familiarity...If in doubt, the name that is recognized is going to get the vote...especially incumbents that have been in office for years.
While I was out and about, many commented on wanting change, that did not happen, time to move forward and hope that at least our Councillors will work together and make a difference...We have to remain positive that even with small change, there are new faces on Council.
For the future, how do we encourage and secure more voters get out and exercise their rights ?
We need to start now, to encourage participation in four years. As a mother of four children, I was alarmed that the elementary schools were used over our highschools. It would seem to make sense that if we utilized the highschools, we could engage the students there. Incorporating what is going on in their community (election) and having the poll stations in their schools is at least a step in the right direction. Inviting Candidates to the schools to speak with the students and parents is an inexpensive way to encourage participation.
My concern is that unless we begin this process immediately, many people will give up and not vote...The sentiments of many that I have spoken with are, "why bother, I voted and nothing changed". My response has been, you voted and that is the start for change...
Have a wonderful day !
To Catch Blog
ReplyDeleteCATCH is doing an amazing job of keeping Hamiltonians informed.
I found it is our council meetings that give a true picture of what our ward representatives are up too.
Often I find quotes given by our councillor or recorded in our local newspaper contradicted the actions he stood on at council meetings.