High Profile Doesn't Mean Approval


High Profile Doesn’t Mean Approval


I was elected Aldermen in 1986 by only a few votes and immediately worked hard at trying to increase my profile.  Not proud to admit that I’d ponder ‘one liner’s’ prior to a Council Meeting hoping to catch a headline – even choose to enrage a colleague so as to give a reporter a confrontation to report on.  My name in a headline would help my profile – a picture would be ideal.

When you are starting out in politics, it seems anything that raises your profile is worth it – even controversy - but as time goes by this isn’t the case.  I noticed a couple of high profile defeats during my early days in office.  First there was a Mayor in the region who ran in a provincial election, was known far better than the other candidates but would finish second.  Seems his negatives were so strong that a lot of voters would rather vote for someone they didn’t know than for him.  Another example was when a radio personality decided to enter provincial politics and discovered that his recognition was huge but so were his negatives.  Perhaps people listened to his show for the controversy but really didn’t agree or like him.  He ran and lost.

These elections impressed upon me that once you have a profile you need to be look after it – as if you become a brand.  I learned to speak out when my position on an issue would help ‘my brand’ and sit quiet when it wouldn’t.  Being a centre-right politician, I spoke on tax and safety issues more often than any restrictions on rights and freedoms.  Oh I would vote for an environmental bylaw that protected sensitive ecosystems but I may not speak up and grab the headline.  I also wouldn’t take the bait when another member of Council would bring in a resolution criticizing centre-right provincial or federal governments – I’d let them vent and I’d sit quiet – I wouldn’t bring down my approval by defending government policies well beyond my control.

For those starting out in politics, I completely understand the attempts at profile with resolutions and outrageous indignation – been there done that – but I caution that one needs to know when to change tactics and protect your reputation once you have one.



Check out my website at http://frankleonard.ca/ for information on Local Government and Consulting



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