Politicians are opportunists. “That’s just what they do,” said a local editor in no escalated verve when we briefly spoke on the subject. He was right, but whether the politician is, is entirely separate.
Sure, taking the opportunities given is important. It isn’t a crime to be opportunistic and perhaps it’s an absolute necessity to advance in the current job market. But when it comes to leadership and the tangible qualities thereof, context is quite important, no?
Picking the right moment to retreat, to strike, to hold your tongue or speak out are all calculated decisions. And decisions shouldn’t matter simply in the immediate.
Doug McCallum left the political arena in 2005, unceremoniously and suddenly. And he left with conviction. Just a year later, he didn’t express a desire to return to politics. Doug Ward then reporting for the Sun quoted McCallum as stating:
“It’s long ago. I’m into a different life now . . . I’m enjoying my retirement. I’ve got more time for gardening and for my family. I don’t have the stresses any more and I’m doing things that I like to do.”
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So, what’s changed?
A renewed vigour? Some inspired vision to help the city’s plaguing issues of crime, affordable housing, public transportation?
Of course every mayoral candidate will try to anchor themselves to these critical issues, latch on to what they think is the best path forward.
McCallum is no different except his bid appears more opportunistic given his recent history. Is it a coincidence he returns amid a perceived political vacuum, or careful calculation?
The platform (so far…)
Along with a vow to improve safety and reduce crime, McCallum has stated he will improve Surrey’s transit capacity and control city-spending.
He also provided a four-point plan for dealing with illegal secondary suites, tweeting out on July 14 those very points:
1) Increased parking restrictions -2 hr. parking, residents only stickers, alternate times -consult with neighbourhoods #surreybc #sryvotes
— Doug McCallum (@mccallum4mayor) July 14, 2014
2) Bylaw task force w/ emerg services – give teeth by council upping fines & frequency of visits #surreybc #sryvotes
— Doug McCallum (@mccallum4mayor) July 14, 2014
3) More bylaw officers, but also increase in building enforcement officers -funds reallocated in city hall spending #surreybc #sryvotes
— Doug McCallum (@mccallum4mayor) July 14, 2014
4) Could not locate fourth point on @mccallum4mayor Twitter feed.
More recently, McCallum pledged—a self-proclaimed raison d’être for entering the mayoral foray—to push for electoral reform.
His touted desire for the city’s future electoral structure is an eight-councillor, four ward system (two councillors, per ward) accompanied by a mayor elected at-large.
Doug to the Rescue?
McCallum’s platform isn’t complex; the ideas aren’t novel nor do some appear even practical. A pledge to improve the city’s transit capacity, for instance, won’t happen on a whim. It will happen when the money happens. It’s a matter of funding not just desire. I would think TransLink has more to gain by expansion.
I can’t confidently comment on McCallum’s rule in the 90s, but I can comment on his exit in 2005 as I’m sure many #SurreyBC thread followers can.
McCallum left defeated, whether bitter or not matters little. He gave that great quote, kept a cool distance operating Harness Racing B.C. with little political input save perhaps for lobbying in the interest of standardbred breeding and his company’s key initiative(s).
There’s nothing wrong with that.
But the opportunistic edge to his re-emergence borders on insulting and shouldn’t be ignored.
Quick warning: sports analogy will follow, but McCallum’s return, in my opinion, runs parallel to Michael Jordan’s “comeback.” When MJ returned to the NBA as a Washington Wizard, everyone immediately recognized he wasn’t the same player. Jordan wasn’t capable of lifting his team to greater heights, only heightened attention. His motivation to return was self-interest more so than proven ability.
Now politics isn’t basketball, granted, but running a city, especially one as evolving as Surrey, requires considerable knowledge of every facet of the municipality. Otherwise, the city’s destined to regress and to develop even greater issues.
Surrey is a lot different than the years in which McCallum was mayor. In fact, the city has progressed, not without its problems, surely, but there’s been progress nonetheless.
McCallum labelled the new City Hall, “a waste of taxpayer money.”
The upgrades and improvements made to the heart of Whalley was necessary to shift the municipality’s overall image as are the hosting of festivals, events and general beautification projects (Holland Park speaks for itself). How else do you spur business and future development without making the city a landmark of some kind? That’s the key and the conundrum to growth.
It’s time for change, no doubt, but McCallum doesn’t appear that progressive change forward. For McCallum to call the development in the rebranded city centre wasteful demonstrates a pessimistic attitude that isn’t conducive to urban advancement and improvement.
City centre was a vision that turned to reality. I too was a skeptic of its need until friends from Vancouver came and witnessed the reformation of Whalley. All remarked positively on Surrey’s character and change. Surely it changed perception of our sprawling city.
McCallum states he wants to control city spending. This position sounds flimsy however when considering McCallum’s platform rests on throwing more resources at crime and by-law enforcement (more officials and a task force). These are increases to the public sector that will not help constrict city spending.
This isn’t to say additional resources aren’t required. Just don’t stand up and preach tighter spending in the same breath as championing the fattening of municipal services.
Does anyone know for certain that adding more cops in Newton will solve the overall issue of crime and safety? Crime is elusive; criminals are reactive. Adding police in one place may in fact just shift the problem elsewhere resulting in the need of more police, more resources, on Surrey’s streets.
By-law enforcement will require more personnel and sharper teeth, certainly, but with periodic revision of legislation and enforcement tactics as people have shown the capacity to circumvent by-laws.
The fear is that McCallum is not the person most prepared to tackle the city’s growing urban issues—a politician armed with superficial talking points and little else by way of a blueprint for the next few years.
It takes a visionary, a student of many disciplines and the genuine desire to place the welfare of everyone else ahead of singular interests. Voters should truly ask themselves if McCallum fits within that criteria.
His pursuit appears as nothing more than a personal reclamation of lost political glory, though I could be wrong.
What is more certain is that McCallum’s a familiar face and the provincial election proved what a smile and talking points can do for a politician, even one behind in pre-election polls—and that’s what’s most frightening.
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