In Canadian politics, there are very few opportunities for voters to cast a ballot for a leader. No one in the area cast a vote for Stephen Harper in a Federal election. Jasperites did not get the chance to mark an X beside the name Ed Stelmach. However at the municipal level, Jasperites have the ability to vote for a mayor.

A new council committee is set to examine if that should be the case in future municipal elections. Concerned about attracting suitable candidates, there is a way of thinking that suggests by allowing council to select their own leader, more candidates will be motivated to run. Currently mayoral candidates who aren’t selected to by the voters don’t get a second chance to sit on council. They simply lose. What a perfectly simple system.

We understand the practical problem council is facing. Mayoral candidates have been scarce in Jasper. For a town full of risk takers, very few risk the all or nothing run for mayor, and an opportunity to soften the rules may attract more candidates. More candidates with a more diverse range of platforms is good for the democratic process.

However this solution plays out, removing the ability for Jasperites to pick their mayor is a mistake. By placing that power into the hands of council, another step is placed between the electorate and their officials, which threatens to further alienate the public from town council. Judging by council attendance, there is already a high level of voter apathy, and if the public loses the power to pick the head of town council, we fear things could get worse.

Also, there is no reason to tamper with the lose and you’re out format. If a candidate isn’t chosen by the voters, then he or she does not get the opportunity to represent them. The proposed situation could allow a council candidate who achieves a small percentage of the vote to end up sitting as mayor. It opens up the possibility for more backroom politics and power brokering, which can twist a council into something voters never intended.

Democracy is supposed to put those with a strong public mandate in charge, not whomever is able to convince his or her council cohorts they should be in charge. Will we see blocks of councillors enter into power struggles to wrestle the mayor’s title away from others? Make no mistake, many of these practises go on now, as Jasper’s current council is driven by consensus building, but to add another power incentive to the mix could distract the group from strong policy making.

Municipal government, by its very nature, is supposed to allow for the closest connection between the public and elected officials. The ability to cast a vote for a mayor is one Jasperites should appreciate, and let the current council know it’s not a privilege they are interested in giving up.