Who wants to try stop the Dionne bandwagon? With four months until the local election no one beyond a few on the current council has come forward with their election intentions. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

civic election

Campaigning and COVID: who wants to run?

Jul 24, 2020 | 4:00 PM

It’s still very much summer barbecue season and it would be an exaggeration to say the municipal election race has started. In fact, as paNOW’s news director Glenn Hicks explains, we’re still looking for the racers.

With less than four months to go to the municipal election only a few people who already sit around the current council table have so far publicly announced their intention to run for office come the November election.

Mayor Greg Dionne is unquestionably in the race as his official campaign van makes very clear and has never been shy about scoring political points. Some might say he’s perpetually in campaign mode. Dennis Nowoselsky has been open about his aspirations of running for mayor but has not launched his campaign, while fellow councillors Blake Edwards and Dennis Ogrodnick have declared they will seek re-election.

Coun. Dennis Nowoselsky says he wants to bring more transparency and a team mentality to city government. He told paNOW in April he would run for mayor but has yet to launch his campaign. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

The occasional posts from others on paNOW’s Facebook page attacking the mayor and/or council, or spouting forth about how things should be done does not constitute a formal declaration of candidacy; we’ll wait for those people to surface. Until then they’re irrelevant to the council race. And it’s only on the afternoon of Oct. 7, once nominations close, that we’ll get to see the formal, official list of candidates anyway.

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COVID-19 looms large

While some contenders are likely to emerge between now and then, there’s little doubt the COVID-19 situation looms large as a factor. That’s not only in the immediate term but for years to come for anyone contemplating grabbing the electorate’s sympathies in the civic vote set for Nov. 9.

Politicians aren’t the most popular people even in the best of times, so given the enormous financial and social upheaval caused by the pandemic, who would willingly want to take a shot at city governance knowing serious challenges lie ahead? On the other hand, perhaps these are the very circumstances that might attract a certain person to the job.

Joe Garcea, a professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan, teaches and writes on local government. He said some people will have been turned off by these difficult times.

“Simply because of the crisis situation and big challenges for local governments, they’d rather somebody else deal with those things,” he told paNOW.

Political divisions to widen

Garcea figured the huge financial pressures facing local as well as provincial government — if not this year, then certainly in the following election – could lead to more fractured politics given the tough strategic decisions that will be needed with limited resources.

“It’ll become a much more contentious, much more divisive type of politics,” he predicted. “We’re going to get people not only running on what should or shouldn’t be done within their community, but in support or against whatever the provincial government is doing that’s affecting the municipality. So, we might end up getting more partisan politics at the local level.”

While that increased conflict over greatly diminished coffers may come further down the road, the immediate issue of how to campaign in the socially distant reality of the pandemic is something candidates will face in the months ahead. It’s fair to say handshaking and baby kissing would be political suicide. Garcea says these circumstances will favour certain people.

“New campaigning strategies will be required and the media savvy individuals – old or young – are likely going to be more engaged,” he said.

COVID challenges could be an incentive

Gordon Kirkby was elected to P.A. council in 1985, and then as mayor in 1988 and 1991, before moving on to become the local MP in 1993. He sees the pandemic as a hindrance to face-to-face campaigning but says candidates “still need to get out there.”

“You’re going to maybe have to find different ways to communicate, perhaps through the media, perhaps advertising, more by phone… it may well change the campaign,” he said.

[Someone] could make a significant run or a successful run, but they better start moving. _{– Gordon Kirkby}

However, Kirkby said the difficulties brought about by the pandemic may in fact be an incentive for some to run for office.

“If they consider themselves to be a creative and able person, it may well actually spur them on if they know there’s going to be challenges,” he said.

So, what of the fact that with four months to go until P.A. citizens vote, no one from outside council has yet to publicly declare they want to take on Dionne for the top job?

“The city of Prince Albert is a smaller community and I don’t think we’re yet beyond the stage where a challenger to the office of mayor could make a significant run or a successful run, but they better start moving,” Kirkby said.

Technology over door-knocking?

Another former longtime member of P.A. council, someone who ran unsuccessfully against Dionne for mayor in 2016, and missed out on the Saskatchewan Party MLA nomination last year, is Martin Ring. He says he’s “still definitely thinking about it… definitely leaning towards a council bid and I’m not entirely washing away a bid to run for mayor.” But he also figured the rumour mill was running rampant at the moment.

The rumour mill is running rampant according to former councillor Martin Ring (right) who says he’s ‘definitely thinking about it’. (file photo/paNOW Staff)

He added it was a little discomforting no one had yet come forward beyond the existing council.

“There hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about [the election],” he said. “I know Mayor Dionne has got his van all plastered and he’s out and about, and a couple of councillors have made mention they’re running again, but it’s been pretty quiet from anybody outside of council.”

In 2016 Ring announced his intention to run nine months before election day.

Ring agreed some voters wouldn’t be comfortable with candidates showing up at their door in light of the pandemic so figured more flyers and social media will be used this election. But he dismissed the notion that younger candidates might have a technological edge.

“In particular through this pandemic, people are getting more in tune with Facebook and Twitter and we’ve all heard about Zoom taking off,” he said.

Things will heat up in the fall

But, given the concerns around COVID-19 will things stay quiet; will we see few, if any contenders come out of the woodwork to take on the incumbent mayor and councillors?

Come September everything hits the fan- _{former P.A.mayor}

Another former mayor who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he figured anything he said would be politicized, told paNOW contenders would come forward but not necessarily a whole bunch.

“People who are politically motivated and media people are always anxious about size and scope [of the field]; people don’t start thinking about the election until fall and in most elections there are always three or four acclamations. There are capable people in the community… but nobody gets excited [until the fall]. Come September everything hits the fan,” he said.

Dionne disappointed by restrictions

If things do indeed hit the fan, or just come and go with a whimper, Greg Dionne, the man currently at the helm says he’ll be ready, but is disappointed COVID-19 restrictions will mean less live engagement with the public.

“I really like door-to-door because you get to talk to people… [but] COVID shut down the places where we’d normally be out campaigning and cheering our community on, so it’s certainly a different campaign that way.

“I was kind of looking forward to this year because of all the announcements, the handshaking, and all the political points; this would probably have been my best year,” he added. He listed all the funding that has come P.A.’s way this year for the new hospital building and arena/aquatic complex in addition to the opening of the U of S campus.

As for how quiet things are regarding the political race, Dionne figured COVID was playing a role and noted what he termed a public split between those who want things to reopen and those who want things to remain closed. However, he said he was “amazed” by the lack of any competition so far.

“Even in the rumour mill, I’ve been out and about talking to people and boy I haven’t heard of many who will step forward and even run for council.”

Will anyone attempt to pour cold water on incumbent mayor Greg Dionne (right), seen here at the recent opening of the spray park in the West Hill. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

The power of being the incumbent

As the countdown progresses towards the Nov. 9 vote, Professor Garcea has a sobering thought for all those political wannabes who may fancy their chances of toppling the people in power, with or without the influences of COVID-19 on their campaigns.

“Regardless of the circumstances, quite often incumbency is a very strong factor in the outcome of elections; that is incumbents rarely lose,” he said. “The only time they lose is if there is a really drastic controversial issue.”

It remains to be seen which issues voters deem important and to what degree COVID-19 casts a veil over the entire process.

paNOW will have extensive coverage of the 2020 municipal election race.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow