Hands up if you've attended any of the mayoral debates.
Just as I thought, most of you haven't.
For those keeners who have, I'm fairly certain your attendance was based on your affiliation with one of the candidates, or their parties; it's the badges, campaign literature, party T-shirts and obligatory hand clapping when your candidate lands a zinger that gives it away.
And, of course, there are all those insightful tweets from you guys, which make for a technological twist on what is really a high school cheerleading contest.
From my days on the high school basketball beat: "We've got the spirit, yes we do, we've got the spirit how about you?"
Rah, rah, rah.
Oh, I know you party types were the minority at the well-attended event at the Italian Cultural Centre a few weeks back, but that wasn't a debate, per se.
That was just four candidates sort of answering/largely deflecting questions from representatives of the Metro Vancouver Alliance, which unfortunately didn't design the format for Mayor Gregor Robertson, the NPA's Kirk LaPointe, COPE's Meena Wong or the Greens' Adriane Carr to engage in a battle of words. (Carr, by the way, is seeking re-election as a councillor but was invited because the Alliance opened the event to parties that had elected people to office over the past two terms.)
Anyway, since that event, I've attended two actual mayoral debates and was scheduled to ask questions at a televised Shaw television debate at the time of writing this piece.
So what do I think, so far?
Well, they're getting more lively, with Robertson and his main rival LaPointe getting in some exchanges and one-liners that have played to their cheerleaders.
Wong and independent candidate Bob Kasting have also scored some points. But it's really difficult to gauge whether any of this is of importance to the person it should matter most: the voter who wasn’t there.
But maybe that elusive voter is smarter than you think.
Had that same voter shown up Sunday at Christ Church Cathedral, she would have heard candidates avoid answering questions, play loose with the facts and make promises they can't keep.
LaPointe: I won’t meet with developers.
Fact: Developers build cities.
Wong: I’ll declare an oil tanker-free zone.
Fact: Tankers have been a common sight in Vancouver waters since a pipeline was built from Alberta to Burnaby in the 1950s.
Robertson: I’ll end (street) homelessness.
Fact: More than 500 people were living on the street, as of March.
Here’s another fact: The sun was shining when I left the church.
And there, all around me, was the elusive voter -- reading a book on the lawn of the Vancouver Art Gallery, sipping a coffee at a cafe, catching a bus, driving a car, riding a skateboard, playing a guitar.
You get the picture.
So maybe the reason only 34.5 per cent of voters cast a ballot in the 2011 civic election was because they would rather enjoy the sunshine than listen to more of the same from a group whose public approval rating continues to plummet.
Yes, it sure would be refreshing to see the elusive voter show up to the next debate, have the cheerleaders stay home and candidates answer questions and stick to the facts.
And then we can all live happily ever after, right?
For now, I’m due back on the planet Earth where, if you enjoy political theatre, it’s such a great place to enjoy a mayoral debate. Really, it is. I promise.
twitter.com/Howellings
