Don’t make candidates organize the debate

Trouble starts brewing when there is so little interest in a municipal election, the candidates have to organize their own debate.

You just know something is going to slide off the rails, no matter how upstanding the individuals involved.

This is what’s happening in Woolwich township.

If there had been a race for mayor, it might have been different. But with the mayoral spot already assured for Sandy Shantz, who is acclaimed, no local organization has stepped forward to organize debates for the candidates for township councillor.

In Ward 1, which represents Elmira, there are three people vying for two seats. Two are incumbents Patrick Merlihan and Julie-Anne Herteis. They’re being challenged by Scott McMillan, who is chair of the Waterloo Region District School Board.

In Ward 2, which represents the west side of the township including St. Jacobs, Floradale and Heidelberg, Eric Schwindt and Fred Redekop are competing for one seat.

Ward 3, which includes Breslau, West Montrose, Bloomingdale and the surrounding area, has no contest. Incumbents Murray Martin and Larry Shantz are both acclaimed.

If Elmira still had its own chamber of commerce, it might have organized a debate for Wards 1 and 2. But the town’s chamber was folded into the Greater Kitchener and Waterloo chamber years ago, and township races are small potatoes in the big city. Take note, fans of amalgamation.

So the five candidates who are running for office got the Woolwich seniors’ association to host a debate. It will be on Wednesday Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira.

The seniors’ group agreed to find a moderator and provide the space, but asked the candidates to be responsible for advertising that it was happening.

The trouble is, Merlihan is co-owner of the Woolwich Observer newspaper.

McMillan balked at helping to pay for an ad in that paper.

“I am absolutely not paying money to a paper for advertising that my opponent owns!” he said.

“Do I just make out the cheque to ‘Patrick Merlihan for re-election?’”

McMillan offered to pay for coffee instead, but there was some disagreement about whether it would be appropriate to offer refreshments.

Merlihan works as production manager for the paper. His brother, Joe, is the publisher.

He says he never implied to the other candidates that they had to buy an ad in the Observer. “There’s numerous ways of advertising,” he said.

But it’s a no-brainer that the Observer is the best news medium for this, because it’s targeted only to Woolwich residents. You’re paying to reach only the people you want to reach.

Merlihan minimizes any hints of conflict of interest by sticking to the production aspects for which he has responsibility.

He doesn’t write editorials or direct news coverage. He pays for any advertising he takes out as a politician.

Woolwich is small, but it has plenty of issues worthy of discussion. It’s a major tourist destination, and also has plenty of commuters to the cities, so traffic congestion is a constant headache.

More housing developments are expected to be built. And there are also chronic concerns regarding industrial pollution in Canagagigue Creek.

It’s natural and quite proper for candidates to feel some adversity for one another. An election is a contest, after all.

But that’s why someone on the outside should be managing the rules of the game.