Integrity & Campaign Promises
As more than a few people have pointed out via email and in social media, I've hit the more "social" issues hard out of the gate. There's an awful lot of runway left before the election, and I have many more planned blogs on a variety of different topics. My assumption (and I seem to be correct) was that most candidates would talk about business, population growth, integrity, and taxes in vague terms, and I'm interested in standing out from the pack. I’m noticing a trend in common terms like “reduce red tape”, “lower taxes / no tax increases”, "transparency", “accountability” and “open for business”, but these concepts are very short on specifics.
I'm a little concerned that candidates are going to keep telling people what they want to hear and making promises they can't keep. I'm not big on slogans or promises, and I try to be very realistic in the limitations of potentially being only one of 9 people at the horseshoe. With that in mind, I will absolutely not make any guarantees about policy initiatives (“platforms”), and I would encourage you to be suspect of anyone who does. Please be wary of folks who say things like "no property tax increases for [a number] of years" or that they have some magical solution that no-one has thought of yet for business investment and population growth. There is no magical answer, and our stagnant population is an issue that stretches through at least 3 Councils. Surely SOMEONE smarter than you and I would have found the simple solution if it existed, right? I’m not saying everything is perfect or that we should stay with status quo - far from it. Quo is my least favourite status. But I think that simple, comforting slogans are easier than context and detail. And again, I claim no ownership of the answers & solutions. It just seems to me that oversimplifying what are obviously complicated, multi-generational issues isn’t helpful. Let’s move forward and think outside the box a little.
I also want to talk about AI and Chat GPT in this campaign. It wasn’t really a widespread or accessible tool last time, and it’s blatantly obvious that it’s being (at least in my opinion) very overused by candidates and a few pundits / observers on social media. The biggest giveaway is the “em dash”, which a standard keyboard doesn’t type by default. It’s longer than the “en dash” ( - vs – ), and it’s a trademark of AI-generated content. I absolutely refuse to use it to “clean up” what I write. Here’s a promise I can keep: everything you hear from me will be something I wrote or said. Outside of standard embedded spellcheck and other Office program features (I’m a PC guy), I actively avoid AI tools and disable them whenever the opportunity is present. Hell, I didn't even like Clippy back in the 90’s!
I’m also trying to be as direct as I can in communication. There’s plenty that I don't know yet (or that needs more context) and I’m not much for “yes or no” answers as I’ve already mentioned. I am also aware of the limitations of Councillors’ role as a member of a governance board and it’s not an active management role. I’ve done lots of management in my career, so I think I have a sense of what not to do when it comes to overreach and meddling. After watching plenty of Council meetings (some online; some in person), I can say unequivocally that I’ll strive to make them shorter. I am all business when I need to be, and prefer succinct questions and answers that are driven to a solution. Watching the current council grandstand, campaign, and insist upon themselves for several minutes before asking a question has been painful. If elected, I will read my agenda packets, ask relevant questions, and then vote. I will not spend a tight five telling you how insightful my take is or the weeks-long journey I took to arrive at a decision. I’ll also keep blogging for exactly the purpose of adding justification and context. THAT”S where I’ll be my typically verbose self, not when City staff are trying to get home to their kids in hour four of a post-workday meeting.
Well, in the interests of being succinct, I’ll make this one shorter than the last few. I’ve said multiple times in interviews and responses that I’m not going to tell people what they want to hear. The answer you get from me will be from my brain (not a robot’s), and it will be honest. You may not like it, but you can hopefully at least respect the integrity of the source
I watched Terminator 2 too many times,
- Adam
