Mayors and
Councillors are entitled, of course, to their personal political opinions but
as an elected official of a community and supposedly representing the community
as a whole, many would consider it inappropriate, distasteful and insulting to have an elected
official use that position to endorse one political party, for as such they
speak for their whole community. Mayors and their Councils must work with their
Provincial and Federal representatives, from any party for the betterment of their
communities and it might be considered very unwise to blatantly take sides.
Unfortunately
Cranbrook’s Mayor Pratt chose to do just that by endorsing one political party
in a paid political advertisement in the Thursday, October 8th edition of the
Townsman.
“By taking a position
you’re basically taking a position on behalf of the entire municipality,” said
Welland Mayor Frank Campion. “I think it would be wrong and probably insulting
to take a position on a particular party.”
Campion said that he
recognizes it’s no secret he ran for the Conservatives in the last provincial
election, and that people know where he’s coming from, but as mayor he won’t
throw support behind any particular party or candidate.
He said his personal
politics are cross-party, saying he agrees with certain aspects of each party’s
platform.
“But
otherwise I will stay uninvolved in the campaign because I think I’m the mayor
of all the people — I’m the mayor of Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats,
Greens, Rhinoceros Party, Marijuana Party people,” he said. “I’m the mayor of
all the people and it is my job to get the best deal for Toronto and not to get
involved in the campaign.” Toronto Mayor Tory
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