TRAVIS HOMENUK

Side question: should we let giants run for mayor?

Here’s a scary thought: I’m a Canadian citizen over 18 years of age and I have lived in Saskatoon for more than three months and in Saskatchewan for more than six months. What does this mean? I can run for mayor. Ermahgerd!

Yes, that’s right, I could be the next mayor of Saskatoon. All I need to do is pay 100 bucks to the city and gather up 25 signatures from people who would vote for me. Then, of course, I would also need to win the election.

If I were mayor of Saskatoon, I would fix all the roads, allow granny suites in every backyard, end homelessness, build bridges (because this city just doesn’t have enough yet), throw down some bike lanes on every street and implement the best transit system in the world. Also, flash mobs would be mandatory at least once a month, preferably with techno remixes of awesome musical numbers. I would also move that city council meetings be food-themed, potluck events. Isn’t everyone a little saner when they have some delicious appetizers and dips in their bellies?

You haven’t lived until you’ve had my spinach dip. Dip party, anyone?

In all seriousness, though, no wonder Clay Mazurkewich slipped through the cracks. I have given this guy a bad time, but I truly think he — and candidates like him — take away from the legitimacy and dignity of an election.

That said, it’s wonderful that running for city council or mayor is accessible to so many different types of people. Teachers, bankers, business people, gypsy dancers, yogis and everyone in between all have the ability to run for mayor of our glorious city — sarcasm intended.

Would it be wise for the city and province to raise the standard when it comes to deciding who can run for office?

I had the chance to bug some university students about this idea, and here’s what they had to say.

“The issue with raising standards for mayoral candidacy is that it decreases the accessibility of the office, making it harder for people who maybe don’t have the most ideal of histories or experiences, but might have great ideas, convictions or knowledge of how to implement change, to gain office.

“I think in this regard, we have to trust voters. It shouldn’t matter who runs for office. If the constituency takes their vote seriously, people who aren’t qualified should not get the job,” said Matt Weins, English student and wearer of good hair.

And from a slightly different perspective:

“I think there should be some standard…. If you factor in the larger part of our society who doesn’t study heavily into the backgrounds of candidates, but rather bases their vote on the platform a candidate presents during their campaign, I think it’s easy for someone to become elected who is not at all qualified. The one who promises sunshine and rainbows to the population is the same one who doesn’t know two shits about how to do anything in city hall,” said Jessica Figley.

Seriously, take advantage of the low qualification system while it exists. Perhaps this city needs a young 20-something to actually get this city moving in a truly progressive direction.

Both Figley and Weins raise solid points. I agree that voters should be and are the ones who decide who gets into office, making the seriousness of the collective candidates an irrelevant issue. If someone like Mazurkewich wants to run, then let the man run. At the same time, though, the qualification system could be tightened up.

Having to be a city councillor before running for mayor seems most reasonable to me, and it makes logical sense. Why run for the big seat when you don’t know how the fuck council works in the first place?

Sorry, Tom Wolf, but that last comment is directed at you.

I spoke to city clerk Janice Mann, who noted that the provincial government’s legislation creates the guidelines for city councils in Saskatchewan.

If you think the qualifications for council candidacy should be changed in any way, you can write to city council and hope that councillors take the issue to the provincial level, or you can write to your Member of the Legislative Assembly and hope they read your letter.

Mann, like Weins, notes that it is the voters who need to make the tough decisions in the end, though even the media decides who is worth writing and reporting about. She recalls that the StarPhoenix chose to follow up on only Atchison and Wolf in the last few weeks, ignoring Mazurkewich. It was a good judgment call.

While I may think Mazurkewich is a waste of election energy, the man deserves a fair assessment just like everybody else. After all, he does care enough about Saskatoon to run for mayor in the first place. That said, if you decide to run for mayor, you better be ready for critical opinions about your campaign. Showing up to a debate looking a little woozy, or missing the campus mayoral forum should be — in my eyes — justification for a little defaming. Okay, maybe a lot of defaming.

Maybe the mayoral qualification checklist simply needs to include a mental health assessment. Let’s wean out the seriously unwell before subjecting citizens to their shenanigans.

But, seeing as how the qualifications for mayoral candidacy are so simple, I encourage more people to run for mayor in three years! Let’s cause a ruckus in this city, and get people talking.

Seriously, take advantage of the low qualification system while it exists. Perhaps this city needs a young 20-something to actually get this city moving in a truly progressive direction.

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Illustration: Samantha Braun/The Sheaf