Why Start A New Municipal Party?

If you have noticed a lot of intrigue right now in Calgary politics, you might be wondering what is going on? Why is everyone talking about new municipal parties? Why would we need a party?

People have said to me that they liked city politics because parties were not involved. They liked voting for individuals instead of parties. We get to know a person, and we go vote for the one that won our heart. Sounds good. Except for one thing, that is not what has been happening.

Why we pick the candidates that we pick, is largely due to marketing. Someone came to our door. Something came in the mail. We watched a video or a debate. We see a picture on a pamphlet or up on a billboard. All of those things cost money. All of those things take resources. Every candidate has volunteers. This is how campaigns are won. Do you know who gets the most votes? Those who had the biggest pockets of hard cash are the ones who can hire the best campaign staff. They get the best strategies. So where does that money come from?

In an ideal world, it would come a little here and there from people, like you and me. However, we don't live in an ideal world. We live in a world where there are special interest groups that have huge funding. We live in a city where union money has been selecting and vetting clients and then putting millions of dollars behind their favourites for decades.

The first time I noticed it was in 2010. Remember that campaign? Rick McIver had a solid lead and suddenly Barb Higgins began to creep up. These were two conservative candidates about to split the vote. An unknown Naheed Nenshi appeared on the scene. Out of nowhere huge billboards came up around the city. I noticed it because I had just priced some out for my company. They rented for $20,000 to $80,000 per month. They were everywhere. I wondered how did this guy get that kind of money? Turns out that this was union money taken off the backs of unsuspecting workers. What? Isn't that illegal? No, not really. Not if they don't directly give it to a candidate.

PACs Have Been Acting Like Parties For Years

Political Action Committees or PACs can receive money and redistribute the money to the candidates of their choice. It is unclear when this practice started in Calgary, but it definitely has been happening since before 2010. They pick their people. They interview them. They make sure that their values align with the desired messaging. Then they put an estimated 4.5 million behind someone like Gondek while the other top three have only 1.5 million each that they raised as individuals. The other candidates voters cancel each other out with vote splitting. Then the day after we thought we have a new mayor, we discovered that she was solely devoted to a climate emergency instead of our fair city.

Individually candidates do not have a chance against a machine of this magnitude. This is why we need parties. Parties can raise more money. Parties can vet candidates and make sure that they carry the values of the party. Things like actually caring about infrastructure can be on that list of values. This is why we created A Better Calgary Party. (You can see our principles here.)

This is why you should get on board with this party. Only a united right can win against this monster. We need all of the people that we can gather. We need all of the money we can gather. We need all of the will power and stamina that we can gather and we need to do it together, or we will get more of Gondek or her chosen replacement Brian Thiessen. Vote splitting is not an option!

If you live in Calgary, subscribe to this newsletter. In another article I will tell you what it takes to create a party and we will talk about other parties that have been created recently.

Join me as we talk about Calgary, this city that we love.

Share your comments. This is democracy. Your voice matters to me even if I disagree. Just try to be polite, and I will do my best to answer in kind.

Kerry George

PS. Join the party here. It is free right now.