Ward System Debate

Charles Tweed, the former city editor at The Brandon Sun and current owner of Tweedia, went on a self-described 'rant' on twitter last night discussing the City of Brandon's current Ward system to electing City Council members (@CharlesTweed if you want to check it out). Charles lives in a Ward without race for council, meaning he won't get a vote in the municipal election next Wednesday.

 

 

This morning, I responded with my thoughts on the Ward system vs. the at-large voting system.

 

1/10 Charles - a saw your self-described 'rant' this morning on the Ward system vs. the at-large system for the City of Brandon municipal election , and thought I'd respond. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

2/10 As a first-time candidate, one of the difficulties I've found is balancing the campaign with work and family/personal time. The municipal election continues to be largely a ‘boots on the ground’ campaign. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

3/10 In the current Ward system, I have the ability to walk the entirety of South Centre as part of the campaign, but would struggle to cover the entire city in a city-wide format. I believe the city-wide format would make it even more difficult for new people to be elected to council. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

4/10 That would then place more emphasis on campaign materials, including signage, which would also make it difficult for individuals to run because of the increased financial responsibility of getting their message. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

5/10 Remember, a council candidate can spend a maximum of $4,500, only $750 of which can be their own money. So, candidates would have to fundraise and/or receive more contributions to be elected, which could come from special interest groups. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

6/10 The fact there is no mayoral race in Brandon this year is a bit of an anomaly (hadn’t happened since 1993), but I think going to a city-wide council election system would actually decrease the number of people interested in running, especially for council seats. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

7/10 There would also be the possibility of all (or majority) of council coming from one area of the city, giving the perception (if not the reality) of favouritism toward that area in decisions that are made a council table. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

8/10 Post-election, having each council member responsible for certain area in the city (I believe) makes it easier for residents to know who to reach out to when they have an issue or problem. If council was city-wide, who would I call? #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

9/10 Ultimately, it would be the councillors that made the extra effort to meet residents, return phone calls and emails that would quickly become the go-to people and those that didn’t, would have much less of those responsibilities despite garnering the same pay. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre

10/10 Admittedly, the ward system isn’t perfect and, as you mentioned, you won’t get a chance to vote next Wednesday (although you should still get out and vote in the school board election) but I still feel it’s the best system for our city. #bdnmb #bdnvotes #luebke4southcentre