The Mayor for PM?

THERE WAS A FASCINATING SPECIAL SECTION in the Globe and Mail this past week asking why it is that cities – those places where some 80% of Canadians live – fall so far down the political pecking order and wondering if things can’t be altered to provide them more power in the decision-making process.This isn’t a new subject.  In fact it’s been raised repeatedly on three continents.  For the first time in world history, this past year witnessed over 50% of the global population now living in urban centres.  Most of the economic, technological, social and research innovation emanates from our cities, so it only stands to reason that as the human condition evolves those larger places where we live should take on an ever larger sense of prominence.  And to some degree this is indeed happening as our larger communities continue to draw in increasing amounts of resources. Unless we’re talking about politics, that is; then our democratic and political structures have barely evolved since the end of World War Two.  It wouldn’t be so bad if the two more senior levels of government were effectively and sustainably covering the bases.  But when you concentrate on the most serious challenges of day – climate change, poverty, immigration, generational friction, etc. – it is our cities that are out in front of the provinces and feds on developing measures to deal with the pressures.  And that is because it will actually be in the locations where the majority of citizens live – municipalities – where the direct effects of the lack of action are most keenly felt and experienced.  So, yes, let’s bring our cities into not just the future, but the present of modern life by establishing political architectures and structures that give them more of a say on how tomorrow might look.But then the Globe and Mail took a brief detour, asking, “Should Mayors Run the World?”  It caused one person to respond, “Since mayors oversee the real world where we live, they should have the power of the PM.”Regardless of where one might stand on that issue, one troubling reality injects itself into any such debate, namely the increasing number of mayors who have shown themselves either ethically or intellectually incapable of leading such large political and economic enterprises.  Sadly, there are so many examples of this at present that there is little need here for examples.So, if we are seeking more power for cities but continue to vote for, endorse, put up with, or ignore the chief political officers of the day, how can any shift in political power to municipalities be trusted?  If democracy is supposed to be the most effective the closer to home it gets, how has it ended up so badly?Perhaps it is because, just as with political power, democracy hasn’t descended effectively to our local levels, despite all our assertions otherwise.  Voter turnout is the lowest in our communities of all political jurisdictions.  In other words, in our cities where citizens could have more of a say than any other level of government, the majority still display little, some would say “declining” interest.  In addition, there are fewer media alternatives for getting information, especially in smaller or mid-sized cities.  Lack of information or alternatives clearly become an issue in such settings. Could it be that it is the very lack of interest, of accountability, or necessary information that permits many mayors to actually act more undemocratically that their senior counterparts?  It’s a good question, still awaiting sufficient answers.All this is just to affirm that if we desire cities, our collective abodes, to have the powers they deserve by the very nature of their growth and innovation, then we require leaders who actually comprehend citizenship, local democracy, and engagement far better than would be required in other jurisdictions, and it’s clear that many cities are underperforming in this regard.  Would be seriously wish to grant such individuals even more power, say of a PM or a premier?While some of our Canadian cities have enjoyed exceptional political leadership, the same can’t be said for a good many others.  But perhaps this is, in part, due to the lack of effective grassroots democratic efforts that can curtail grand efforts at personal fiefdoms that often lead to unsavory conduct.  We won’t just get better mayors by choosing from a ballot; we must be collectively worthy of the effective leadership among us.Forget about mayor as PM; we just require some very capable and principled women and men to be the first among their citizen equals.  We must help to first build and educate them and then they must turn around and draw us within the frameworks of powers so that democracy itself is energized from the inside out.  The privilege of being such a mayor isn’t that you can do as you wish, but you can hold power and be an accountable neighbour at the same time.  The privilege of being a citizen in such a setting is that you can live in a community overseen by one of your peers living among you.  Many communities have yet to demonstrate that they can pull this off.  Those that have represent the very reason why cities hold such great potential for the future.