The blogger’s quandary: for whom should I vote?
October 5, 2011
This should be easy. Each of the candidates has dutifully presented himself at my door, sat down on my sofa, and given me an uninterrupted hour of his time while I asked whatever questions came into my head.
But it’s not.
Progressive Conservative MPP Steve Clark greeted me like an old friend, and I suppose he is. I worked with Steve during the planning for the International Plowing Match on our property in 2007. But Steve quit halfway through the three-year-process, leaving everyone in the lurch. Bob Runciman called from Toronto, and Steve was off to greener pastures. No doubt Steve Clark is an enthusiastic advocate at Queen’s Park, and I wish him well, but that initial abandonment sticks in my mind.
Green Party Candidate Charlie Taylor is no politician, and I mean that in the best possible way. The guy is very bright, candid, energetic. I greatly enjoyed our interview because the educator in me saw the potential this guy has in just about any field. Charlie’s the one who would best fit in to the annual maple syrup team at the farm. The Green Party is the perfect place to lodge a protest vote, and I have kicked myself ever since the last election for not voting for Neil Kudrinko, who in my mind was the best candidate. Instead I continued to grit my teeth and vote Liberal, for a candidate who barely gave me the time of day.
Liberal Candidate Ray Heffernan’s a nice guy, but running for MPP is no way to while away a long convalescence after a car crash. He’s out of his league. But I greatly respect Dalton McGuinty and want him to continue as our premier. I like the guy’s vision, his integrity. This may fly in the face of the Tory bloggers who call him a liar. So be it. Dalton McGuinty has a history of doing what he thinks needs to be done and taking the heat politically for doing the right thing. Like a good parent. His kids like him. So does his wife. The McGuinty campaign doesn’t have to harp about family values. They’re so obvious they don’t need mentioning.
Dalton McGuinty is the antithesis of Mike Harris, and this has caused me to vote for a number of local pylons over the last few elections.
Then we come to NDP Candidate David Lundy, whose name I originally misspelled as “Lamb” after our interview. He turned up an hour late for our interview. Apparently “noon” means something different to an NDP staffer than it does to a Leeds County farmer.
But Lundy was worth the wait. He’s a public service union executive, a boardroom type. For the first time in an interview (apart from the one last year with Michael Ignatieff) I felt as though I was above my pay grade here. Lundy controlled the interview, giving me precise and well-thought-out answers.
At one point he launched into a bit of dialectic about voter apathy I had heard from Heffernan and again from Taylor, so I called him on it. “Those guys have been stealing my ideas ever since the first all-candidates meeting. By the time my turn comes all of my best arguments have been said by the other two.” Come to think of it, Ray Heffernan had mangled the dialectic as though he didn’t really understand what he was saying, though Charlie Taylor had nailed it. Points to Lundy.
Lundy evaded questions about Bob Rae’s legacy with the elegance of a figure skater. His initial anecdote about Stephen Harper’s arrogance resonated with me. The only time he was off guard was when I wheeled out a quote from a Sun Energy executive naming Crosby the solar-panel capital of Canada. “Where was that reported?” he asked urgently.
“I haven’t written it yet. It’s still in my notes.”
So who should get my vote in a race where the only real question is whether Steve Clark will get more than two-thirds of the votes, or less?
David Lundy won it with his comment, “The Liberals are not a factor in Leeds-Grenville.” But I’m still cheering for Dalton, and hoping for a Liberal majority.
An interview with Steve Clark, Progressive Conservative Candidate for Leeds-Grenville
February 22, 2010
How would you describe the northern part of your riding to an MPP newly arrived in Toronto from Thunder Bay?
Westport is a tremendously unique municipality in Leeds and Grenville. We all covet its waterfront. North Leeds also has a unique commercial component with the high-end shops in Westport and Newboro. When our friends from all over Ontario come to visit, they often drive up to Westport and Newboro for the shopping experience.
But to explain anything about North Leeds you must begin with the people. Last week I walked into Kudrinko’s Grocery Store, and whether they were going to vote for me or not, they welcomed me with a smile. Friday night I dropped in at the Junior B hockey game at the Arena. Westport and Gananoque were in this fiercely competitive game, but the fans were just so nice to me. It was one of the highlights of last week’s campaign, going to Westport and spending an hour or two watching the game. It doesn’t matter whether people are supporting you or not, people in North Leeds are very welcoming. Visitors here can’t help but appreciate this.
In North Leeds you still have this tremendous rural component. I have fond memories of the plowing match. I have advocated for the municipality with regard to the illegal fishing issue. I have worked with Rideau Lakes on some police budget issues. Demographically, forecasts show an aging population in all corners of Leeds-Grenville. I’m committed to work with staff to provide more effective services for our community as needs increase.
Sawmill owner Kris Heideman recently told us at the Kemptville Woodlot Conference that some American mills are dumping red pine on the Toronto market for less than Ontario landowners get for their timber. From your point of view as an aspiring MPP, what are the issues here?
Here is how I would attack the issue:
1. I would meet with the local folks to get the details of this incident.
2. We would use our office as an opportunity to talk to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade to find out what Ontario Government policies are in place which have allowed this to happen.
3. Because it is an American company which is dumping the product, I want to sit down with Gord Brown to see what Federal Government policies are in place that allow this to happen.
In a recent article Senator Runciman ripped Premier McGuinty for his green plan, claiming that Hydro will have to pay out “outrageous” amounts to homeowners with solar panels. He described Mr. McGuinty’s pricing as “the stuff of fantasy”. Are you prepared to stand by Runciman’s hyperbole, or would you care to offer a more balanced view?
I think Mr. Runciman does make a good point. As someone who is CAO of a municipality, I have received information from the Provincial Government promoting the installation of solar panels on our buildings at a rate of return far exceeding market value. The bigger concern that I am hearing at the doors is from seniors and working families regarding the impact on energy costs of the HST and the installation of smart meters.
Your opponent Steve Armstrong claims that manufacturing is doomed in Leeds-Grenville. Care to comment on that?
We have lost a lot of manufacturing jobs in Leeds-Grenville, no question, and I think in the future we need to be aggressive in promoting the idea that Leeds and Grenville is open for business. We need to work together at the municipal level to realize that not every municipality is going to build an industrial park and become a manufacturing hub. We need to find what works, and then promote the daylights out of it.
What I mean by that is that the tourist sector may continue to carry some communities. Others may find growth around cultural pursuits. The Biosphere Project has possibilities. We need to look at more than the traditional manufacturing model to spirit us out of the current downturn.
What issues do you see emerging in Leeds-Grenville over the next ten years (and how are you uniquely suited to face them as our representative in the Ontario Legislature)?
In the next ten years Leeds-Grenville will have to be innovative in the way we run our municipalities and economic development. We need a representative who can forge alliances between groups who may never have worked together before. My example is the International Plowing Match at Crosby in 2007. When I first made the pitch to host it in North Leeds, people told me that it would be tough to get groups who did not know each other to work together on a project of that size. If successful on March 4th, I think I will be able to bring all corners of Leeds-Grenville together to work on projects which will sustain us in the future.
When as a 22 year old I first knocked on doors in Brockville in the mayoral race, people told me I would have to attend the school of hard knocks before I would be ready. But I won. Now at 49 I have the same way of thinking in this campaign that I had 27 years ago. The number one thing I do at the door is I listen. I hear some really innovative ideas. I am excited by the energy I see in our community and I hope I can be the advocate of those big dreams after March 4th.
the Walnut Diary 