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Saturday December 10, 2005
Rocking
City Council
by Alex
Bozikovic
As
founder of the Toronto
Public Space Committee, Dave Meslin has led a group of young activists
trying to keep corporate interests off our streets. Now, he's turning
his attention to that most important of public spaces: City Hall.
But that doesn't mean he's becoming your average political operator.
Instead, with a municipal election about a year away, Mr. Meslin is
taking his cues from reality TV. Call it City
Idol.
"With Canadian Idol, they take an industry that's very exclusive
. . . and say, 'There's lots of people out there who would be great
singers. Let's throw them on stage and let the audience decide,' "
he says. "We're using the exact same idea."
Through a website that will launch in January -- whorunsthistown.to
-- he'll encourage young Torontonians to join an existing campaign,
run for council themselves or compete to be City Idol. "We're taking
people who are young, who have good ideas, who are optimistic, but aren't
connected to the power structures that would allow them to get on council."
Starting with a field of 100, he hopes, Mr. Meslin and friends will
host monthly public face-offs among the would-be politicians. Each will
make a short speech about what makes a great city councillor -- and
convince the audience they have what it takes. The audience, each time,
"will vote half the candidates off the island."
The ebullient Mr. Meslin figures the fun of the competition will attract
some fine candidates. (With the conventional system, "clearly,
we haven't been selecting the cream of the crop on council," he
says.) And through debates and mock press conferences, the challengers
will help refine each other's skills and positions.
If it works out as planned, the contest could bring new energy to Toronto's
politics. Mr. Meslin argues that it's surprisingly easy to run for council,
and there's real strength in numbers.
Okay, so they may be serious. But will City Idol contestants put on
a show?
"The candidates won't have to sing," Mr. Meslin says. "But
if they want to . . ."
-- Alex Bozikovic
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