East Ottawa Star
Published: Friday, October 9, 2009

Running for public office 101

Picking up on last week’s column about fixing the dysfunction around city council, a few folks stopped me to ask, how do I run for city council? To which I glibly responded, file your papers, pay your deposit and, oh yeah, good luck!  

Of course it’s a tad more involved than this. You need to have a sense that you can raise enough money to run a credible campaign, it has to work for you in terms of your employer or business, your platform of ideas must resonate, and most importantly, the timing has to be right for you and your family as it is as a real strain to fill the gaps – income, chores, chauffeur, companion, friend – while you’re debating, glad-handing and knocking on doors.

To start, this column should not be construed as a manifesto against our current councillors. I have excellent professional and personal relationships with the councillors that represent our four east-end wards. That being said, there is a city-wide desire for change taking hold and it would not surprise me to see some healthy contests in our own backyard in next year’s elections.

So here is Local Elections 101 for Dummies, modelled on the infamous yellow book series.

The election is Nov. 8, 2010. The earliest you can file your papers and start raising money is Jan. 4, 2010. The city’s website has useful links found at www.ottawa.ca/elections/index_en.html. And the city staff that oversee the election process are knowledgeable and impartial ... a great resource for general information.

Now why? Why do you seek to earn the privilege of serving your community as its representative on city council? You will need a compelling, relevant, realistic and honest answer to this question, ideally in 50 words or less. And if a councillor’s salary of $95K (including car allowance) seems attractive to you, take it from one who has seen these folks work seven days a week at times; the hourly wage sucks. If their salary motivates you, don’t bother.

As for a campaign team, if you are planning to be your own campaign manager then consider the old legal proverb: “He who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client.”

You will need a small army of volunteers to help you deliver fliers, install arterial and lawn signs, run your website and help you with debate preparation, just to name a few operational details.

Research into the city budget, city services (or lack thereof) in your community and the positions taken by your incumbent opponent is critical. And there is no time like the present to start building a file on what your councillor has said, done, promised and delivered ... or not. But be warned, in the age of Google, anything you have written, said or posted to YouTube et al. is also fair game for campaign fodder.

That’s it for now, my word count is done. Maybe we will see you on the hustings.