Clive Doucet weathers erratic campaign
Clive Doucet is giving it his all on the hustings in the closing stages of the mayoral campaign. But going on the campaign trail with Doucet is a ride quite unlike any other. Doucet’s campaign, by his own admission, is somewhat helter-skelter; indeed, on the trail it looks as if things haven’t been properly nailed down. It is both refreshing for its unpredictability and startling in its lack of order. You take what comes along, ride with it and hope to end up in a good place, which on this drizzly Monday morning ended unexpectedly in a mad rush to a Hintonburg community park to save some trees. The day for Doucet began with a radio interview, followed by some sign-waving at the corner of Woodroffe Avenue and Baseline Road. Then he was off to a meet-and-greet at the Parkdale Market, where yours truly joined the party. Doucet did some gladhanding, spoke about his plans, and took a few pokes at incumbent Jim Watson, feeding off a couple of people who told him they had already voted for him. This was, however, an overcast morning with rain in the forecast and there weren’t enough people around to canvass. It was not the best use of his time. Improvising, Doucet turned the underwhelming meet-and-greet into some impromptu mainstreeting on nearby Wellington Street. It was a drab morning and the street wasn’t teeming with people. Doucet chatted with anyone who would stop and listen, got into a few breakfast outlets and shops that were open to having him make his pitch. Doucet is earnest and passionate about his plan for change and some people like him, with about half a dozen saying they had already voted for him. Just as it started to drizzle and the candidate was thinking of calling it a day, word came through his partner, Carole, that the city was cutting down some trees in a small Hintonburg community park and there were some unhappy residents around there. Apparently, the chainsaws were out and something had to be done. Here was an opportunity not to miss: we scrambled into our cars to go meet the residents and “save some trees” in Friendship Park, nestled between Hilda Street and Bayview Road. How Doucet was going to save those trees at that very moment was never explained. We arrived at the park to find city contractors had cut down a number of trees, with nearby residents fuming. Turns out lead had been found in the soil and the city decided it was better to cut down some trees, remove the soil and retrofit the park. The problem was process: The residents said no one told them about cutting down trees and they were never consulted on the plan of action. Their input might have offered alternatives. By now there was a steady drizzle and we were all getting soaked. Doucet couldn’t save any trees, but said he learned a valuable lesson “on how we should do things and how not to do things.” Doucet acknowledged his campaign is not as well organized as one would expect, and traced some of the problems to his late entry, a last-minute decision that didn’t allow for careful advance planning. He is running on a shoestring budget with only a handful of committed campaign staff, and there are still parts of the city he hasn’t visited and may not visit. “It is a bit helter-skelter,” he said of the campaign. “We started late. Are we suffering from that? Yes. But given where we started, I am amazed at what we’ve done.” Doucet says support at the door and at various campaign stops has been “overwhelming,” especially in the urban areas, and only 72 hours before the day of reckoning, he remains hopeful. “I am amazed at the support out there. The snowball is getting bigger, it is gathering speed and there is a lot of desire to say goodbye to Mr. Watson,” he says. “The support is astonishing. But whether it is enough to win, on verra (we shall see).”
We started late. Are we suffering from that? Yes. But given where we started, I am amazed at what we’ve done.