City Council enters the final year of their mandate as municipal election cycle to arrive in Fall of 2022

There are less than 365 days left in the Current mandate
(for the all man) City Council, with the 2022 election cycle
to arrive in the fall of 2022
(Photo from past City of PR info item)

Mayor Lee Brain and the members of City Council now have less than 365 days to prepare, if inclined, for an election campaign, the final year now underway of their four year mandate earned back in October of 2018.

The run up to an election year is normally one of a declaration of big plans and big promises of incumbents and sometimes the percolating campaigns of those who feel they can offer something to civic governance. 

Though so far, there have been few rumours to take note of when it comes to potential challenges to the incumbents in place.

The current council will be continuing forward with an agenda that largely has come out of a pair of two high profile civic vision programs of the last eight years. 

With completion of much promised infrastructure projects such as the water dam and a start to a water treatment facility, the launch of a recycling program to the home and the creation of much more in the way of housing of all types, among some of the key elements that residents will be watching with interest on.

Whether there is any push back to some of the ambitions of this council as presented over the last four years will more than likely be known the closer we get to the election period of the fall, but positioning for a run for office takes a bit of time, so we may hear some rumblings once we move into the New Year.

One area where there will be some increased interest in, as we move towards the campaign of 2022 will be how much diversity makes its way into the campaign, the topic one recently raised by former City Councillor and current North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, who observed of the all male status of City Council in this most recent verdict from the electorate.

Voters will be casting ballots at the Civic Centre  for municipal
office  in just under one years time, with the final year of the
current four year term now underway

Also of interest will be to see if any actual interest is generated in the upcoming quest for municipal office, the 2018 campaign was notable for two things.

First, no one four years ago offered up a challenge to Mayor Lee Brain who regained office by acclamation in the last election cycle. Something that seems an unlikely situation heading into 2022 as those with an interest in municipal politics explore their options and look for areas to challenge the Mayor and his vision for the future.

As for the current collection of Councillors, they hold office with the support of just thirty percent of the electorate, which means that 70 percent of those eligible to vote chose to find something else to do rather than participate in democracy and to have a say in how the city is governed for the four year cycle.

It's that disconnect between residents and their civic government, the one level which they actually can hold the most accountable that is puzzling and can also lead to the community being represented by candidates who can best deliver those followers on their Facebook feeds and circle of friends into voters who can put them into office on a Saturday in October.

For the year ahead, worth keeping an eye on will be the checklist that will inevitably come of projects completed from the four and eight year plan that this council has been chipping away at. 

Also worth keeping an eye on is if the residents and hopefully an increased level of voters in November 2022 agree with that agenda, or if they cast a ballot to suggest that the Council's priorities may not in some cases been the same as theirs.

In 2018 there were 8,727 eligible voters, with just 2,913 of them taking the time to vote, by this time next year Statistics Canada will have relayed to us if the population has increased in Prince Rupert to add to that voting pool. 

Though the participation  level still remains in the hands of an electorate that for a number of years has shown little in the way of interest in who claims their seats on Election Day.

As for the path to Election 2022, you can follow the final year for this council through our Council Discussion page through the year ahead.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.