If there is one positive thing to be learned from the whole Rob Ford debacle in Toronto, it is that a bad mayor can ruin a city's reputation but can't impair its smooth operation for long without the support of the council.
This is not to disparage those who have filed nomination papers for British Columbia's Nov. 15 election or those hoping to win in the Oct. 27 vote in Ontario.
Rather, it's a reminder that all of us need to look beyond the One Big Horse Race.
Councillors, school trustees and -- in Vancouver -- the park board members aren't just seat-warmers. They can and often do play a big role in deciding how municipalities evolve and how children learn.
In B.C., the Community Charter describes the mayor's role as the chief executive officer, providing leadership by recommending bylaws and policies, communicating information to council, establishing standing committees, providing general direction to the staff as well as suspending employees if needed.
That's powerful stuff.
But it's only powerful if the mayor has the majority support. Without it, the mayor's job is reduced to chairing meetings, cutting ribbons and carrying messages between staff.
Because, as the Charter says, the mayor must reflect the will of council -- even if it runs contrary to everything she or he believes in.
But here's the disturbing thing. Sea change can happen in civic elections when only a few thousand people shift their votes.
Vision Vancouver gained control of the city and a powerful voice on the Metro Vancouver board and committees with the support of only about one in seven eligible voters. Only one in three potential electors bothered to show up.
That's not all that bad when you consider that nobody showed up in 12 municipalities, including Belcarra and Lytton. Their mayors and councillors were acclaimed.
Langford had the worst turnout: 13 per cent.
It all puts lie to the excuse used by many who don't vote because they say a single vote doesn't matter. It matters so much in civic elections that a single vote has disproportionate influence over who governs.
The other excuse is that it's so complicated compared to federal and provincial elections, where you only have to pick one from a short list.
It could be simpler if the B.C. government allowed ward system or even a mail-in ballot so voters had more time to go through the names and even find out something about the candidates.
Failing that, in an attempt to bolster "democracy" we might get stuck with gimmicks like in Norway where casting a ballot enters voters in a lottery for prizes, including travel.
But worse, we may also get stuck with somebody else's government -- a government chosen by a few whose special interests have nothing to do with what we care about or want.
