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And the sign says…

October 14, 2022   ·   0 Comments

By Anthony Carnovale

Yet, another column that took me a lifetime to get to. What can I say? I could blame it on my age (I won’t). I could blame it on my kids (I have and might still). Truthfully, it’s not just one thing — it’s never just one thing. We’ve been through all this before, so I won’t bore you with the same old excuses. I’m just trying to pick my battles, trying not to stretch my psychic energies too thin. Between climate change, the economy, the traffic on Broadway, gas prices, war in Ukraine, and the general malaise that seems to be consuming so many of us there’s only so much my brain can take. Did I mention that I have two young children? Did I mention that there’s an election happening?  

I guess the first sign should have been…wait for it…all the signs that have popped up around town like autumnal weeds. They’re on every street corner, on every bend of every road. They remind me of a group of students all raising their hands at the same time: Pick me! Pick me! I’m surprised at all that money and resources (not creative resources) that are still put into signage. Pick a colour; pick a font. Do I include my middle initial? I would have thought that by 2022 elections signs would have gone the way of the dodo and Kanye West’s music career. Sadly, signs are the only sign that an election is even happening in this town. Coverage in our local newspapers has been scant. What has been written and shared could have, and probably was, copied from each candidate’s website. And the debate?

I was looking forward to the debate. Debates can be educational, informative, life-altering. The goal of a debate is to convince your opponent that the things you believe in, and stand for, are the right things to believe in and stand for. Debates are a time for people to listen, engage and, maybe, just maybe, change minds or see something in a different light. Sadly, the debate hosted by the Dufferin Board of Trade came off more like a post-mortem report than it did an actual debate. James Baldwin versus William Buckley it was not.

I mean, who watched the debate and walked away feeling better informed? Excited? Motivated? Who was inspired by Trevor Castiglione’s confession that he didn’t prepare for the debate because he didn’t have to be prepared for the debate? Sign me up, dude! You’ve got my vote. Municipal elections remind me of student council elections in high school. Some are born for the part; others look as if they’re in it for a laugh. For the record, I thank, and respect, all candidates for doing their part for our community.

In my eyes, the race for mayor is going to come down to Lisa Post and Jeremy Williams. I admire Lisa. She’s heavily invested in this community. You can see, and hear, that she wants to do what’s best for this community. She’s tactful and respectful; she’s a positive voice for an inclusive community.

We’ve already seen what Jeremy Williams can do. Jeremy was at the head of a very divisive, and toxic, council. I’ve tried to engage with Jeremy in the past. I found him to be abrasive; he took offense to simple questions. Jeremy knows how to connect with his base. He knows what they want, and he’s giving it to them. He did well in the debate. He had some strong responses; he mumbled and rambled his way through others. I appreciate the fact that he said he needs to do a better job of listening than he did during his previous term as mayor. He can’t wish away the negativity and toxicity that plagued that council. It was hard to stomach at times.

My gut —and things I’ve read and listened to— tell me that people’s minds have already been made up, that they were made up before any signs went up, before the debate was even aired. I think this community is divided into the two political camps that Lisa (left) and Jeremy (right) represent. Both sides are angry and frustrated. Constituents on either side are not interested in listening to what the other side has to say. Orangeville is a microcosm of what is happening provincially, federally and globally. To me, this is not an election about taxes, sidewalks and tree stumps. These local issues simply mask the bigger issues at play- this election will be a referendum on Justin Trudeau, and the direction that people want the country, not the town, to go in. It’s a sign of the times in which we live.

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