Nearly half of Manitoba’s council leaders won by default this year. Why aren’t more people running?

With no one else showing up, Bill Holden begins a new term as mayor of his small Manitoba town – and he’s far from the only one.

Nearly half of the province’s 135 municipalities with elections this year – 64 – will see their council leaders acclaimed because they had no competitors, data of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities shows.

That’s just over 47%, down from 41% in 2018 and 36% in 2014. Of those municipalities, 17 have seen their council leader acclaimed for three consecutive elections, according to a CBC News analysis.

And five of them, including Holden in the southwestern Manitoba town of Melita, have seen the same person acclaimed as head of council in every election since 2014.

The pensioner – who leads the town of around 1,000 after decades working on the railroad and running a cinema with his wife, Marilyn – said it was a fulfilling role. And while he thinks the competition is always good, he understands why people are reluctant to throw their hats in the ring.

“If you do it really well, it takes time [job]. You have to put in the effort,” Holden said.

“And of course…you really don’t get much [pay] to be a councilor or mayor of a smaller community, so that part doesn’t appeal to anyone at all. But you have to do it for the love of your community.”

Melita resident Marilyn Anderson said she saw pros and cons in having the same leader for so long without any competition.

But she can also see why more people aren’t offering their name — so she’s glad the person holding the title is someone she thinks is doing a good job.

“It’s a big commitment,” said the retired nursing home worker, who has lived in the city for 16 years and previously lived in a nearby municipality for decades.

“And if you really want to do that and want better for your community, then these are the people you need. And I think Bill Holden is one of those people.”

Why aren’t more people running?

There are also other reasons that might deter people from getting involved beyond the fact that it’s often “a full-time paid part-time job,” said Denys Volkov, chief executive of Association of Manitoba Municipalities.

Many local politicians have seen more of the negative side of social media in recent years, particularly at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when they were tasked with communicating public health orders that they were not involved in. the editorial staff, Volkov said.

“Some decided not to run again, others decided to put their names forward. But other members of the community saw what elected officials often go through,” Volkov said.

That increased pressure has made the past few years a difficult era, especially for city officials, Holden said.

“MP or MP, I mean, I respect them all for what they do, but… they’re not here in the constituency. So they can go to their office in Brandon, Winnipeg or Ottawa, or wherever they are, and we’re left here,” he said.

“If everyone has a complaint, I don’t have a secretary to go to. They come straight to me – or my wife, I guess.”

While the “growing wickedness” of politics can alienate people of all genders, it tends to affect women more, said Aaron Moore, director and associate professor in the University of Winnipeg’s political science department.

It could also contribute to the low number of female municipal leaders in Manitoba. Of the 64 council leaders to be acclaimed, only eight – 12.5% ​​– are women. However, others could still be elected next week.

The strength of an incumbent at the municipal level also likely plays a role, Moore said.

“If you’re serious about running and winning and you have an incumbent who’s either councillor, prefect or mayor, it can be very, very difficult to beat them. And I think, more and more, people are realizing that. .” he said.

That factor can be especially important the longer the same person has been in the job, Moore said.

There’s also a dynamic in smaller municipalities expressed by the likes of Anderson, where residents are more likely to know their community leaders better — and if they’re happy with their performance, they won’t run against them, he said. -he declares.

Why is it important?

There can be advantages to having the same community representative for a long time, Volkov said.

In all three election cycles they’ve had the same head of council, for example, communities like Ste. Rose and the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie have seen strong economic growth, he said.

“The stable government actually provides economic activities that provide funding in these areas,” Volkov said.

Someone who’s been in the job longer probably has a better understanding of the job — but the longer the same person has been in the job, the more things can stagnate, Moore said.

“I think the big takeaway is that if we don’t have competition, we don’t have a real discussion about the state of our municipalities and where they should be going,” he said. he declares.

“In many cases, these council leaders can be very good at their position. But if somebody doesn’t challenge them and ask questions – that’s a big part of democracy, to have that kind of debates, and elections are the main forum for that.”

Difficult but fulfilling work

But for all the reasons someone might not want to show up to direct, Holden said there’s still a lot of good in the works.

When he first rose to prominence eight years ago, it was to try to improve infrastructure, such as completing the rural water switch to a water treatment plant.

Seeing these kinds of improvements happen during his time as mayor has been gratifying — and Holden said he wants to stick around to see through efforts like ensuring the city’s hospital stays open.

As he prepares to begin his third term as mayor, Holden said he’s not yet sure a fourth term is in the cards. But he knows he’s not done serving his community yet.

“We’ll see in four years. … We have competent people coming to the board and I’m sure one of them will show up for it or someone else will,” he said. he declares.

“But I do have a stake. And even if I don’t stay on the board after this term, I’ll still be involved to help whoever comes in.”