City council candidates meet Peterborough’s real estate lobby

On Monday, Peterborough mayoralty candidate Diane Therrien attended a private meeting of realtors in the city’s downtown. In front of crowd of more than 20 local realtors, she was given 10 minutes to speak about her election campaign and her vision for the city.

Thereafter, the assembled realtors put questions to her for another 50 minutes on matters of their own choosing. Next Thursday, current mayor Daryl Bennett will attend a meeting with the same group.

These meetings are the result of a novel initiative – believed to be the first of its kind in Peterborough – created by RE/ MAX Eastern Realty Inc. brokers John Bowes and Richard Whitney and facilitated by brokerage owner John Hope. Last month, Bowes sent a powerful e-mail to all 25 councillor candidates in the city, inviting them to come in for a dialogue – two at a time – about current issues and the future of the city as they see it.

It read, in part, “The 2018 municipal election will be a turning point for Peterborough. Voters will choose between planned growth or stagnation ... young people are leaving the city to find work elsewhere because there is no serviced employment land for new industry or commerce in the city or the county ... Millbrook and Norwood are having building booms because there are no serviced building lots in Peterborough ... will Peterborough choose healthy growth or a vicious cycle of decline?”

Of the 25 councillor candidates invited, 16 responded. Therrien is one of 11 candidates for Peterborough city council who have already met or are scheduled to meet with the realtors.

They include current mayor Daryl Bennett, sitting councillors Dave Haacke, Henry Clarke, Lesley Parnell and Andrew Beamer, as well as retiring councillor Dan McWilliams. New candidates for city council include Jenny Lanciault, Paul Rellinger, Ian Peddle, Dave McGowan and Jeff Westlake. Three township candidates – acclaimed Douro-Dummer Mayor J. Murray Jones and mayoralty candidates Andy Mitchell (Selwyn) and Scott McFadden (Cavan Monaghan) – are also scheduled to have their turn in front of the group.

The questions posed to candidates to date have been largely focused on economic development and job creation, the supply of development land, transportation infrastructure and the provision of affordable housing – factors that make for a healthy real estate market and a growing community.

However, some councillors have been asked questions such as who they would like to join them as their ward mate at city council and who they are intending to support for mayor.

The realtors’ agenda is plain: support candidates who support their agenda, and promote city councillors who are most likely to get on with the business of city building.

It is no surprise that the meetings are sometimes followed by discussions of personal campaign donations and the availability of election sign locations.

A number of my associates have been quick to point out examples of the unholy alliance of the real estate sector and politicians generally, suggesting that this initiative of drawing councillor candidates into the lion’s den for a throwdown amounts to more of the same. I don’t see it that way. I wrote in this space three months ago about the ingenious “conversation cafés” that Peterborough Pubic Health had arranged with councillor candidates. The realtors are doing the same, as should any organization that wants to take advantage of the election-related attentiveness of candidates, so as to advance its cause.

The realtors are to be congratulated for giving practical expression to the ideals of political engagement and accountability. In an election campaign that has so far been largely uneventful, their bold advocacy should be an inspiration to others.