The silly season in municipal politics is starting early, with Coun. Lisa Helps in Victoria launching her mayoralty campaign in the Times Colonist today. Yes, January 2^nd – 46 and a half weeks before the November election.

All the usual platitudes were there:

• “One of them is to obviously be focused on now and what we need now but [also] to be focused on the long-term picture and make decisions now that are good for the long-term.”
• “Bring people with a huge diversity of perspectives together and make everyone there feel like they are shining; feel like they can contribute.”
• “My approach to everything isn’t left wing or right wing. It isn’t ideological. It’s practical and common sense.”

Yadda yadda yadda. But for someone so interested in the “long-term picture,” candidate Helps points to some very lame accomplishments of her two years on council: “Helps cites initiatives such as moving the city toward a three-year budgeting cycle, council agreeing to a property tax-hike ceiling of 3.25 per cent, and creating a youth poet laureate position as among the highlights of her two years on council.”

Victoria may “budget” for three years, but like every municipality in B.C., it has to – by provincial law – provide a five-year financial plan. Strike one.

Taxpayers – especially those on fixed incomes – will be forgiven if they don’t throw a parade for Victoria council holding property tax hikes to 3.25 per cent. That’s nearly four times the rate of inflation. Strike two.

And, seriously, a youth poet laureate as a top-three initiative? For someone wanting to be a long-term thinker? Ridiculous, and strike three. 

As we march toward elections in every city in B.C. this November, one fervently hopes the caliber of candidate will improve drastically.