Policy statements released within a day of each other by the two perceived front runners for the mayor’s chair are short on detail and contain ideas so similar that they could be interchangeable.
This is the assessment of a political scientist who calls these newest policy statements by Ald. Ric McIver and Barb Higgins “boilerplate stuff, non-confrontational.”
“You could take the two and flip them,” said Duane Bratt of Mount Royal University.
Both candidates say they will release more details on their policies later in the campaign. They also say there are other things that define them from one another.
“For me, I would point to my track record, having actually been in the trenches, if you will, for nine years and doing the work on behalf of the taxpayers and citizens,” McIver said.
As for Higgins, she said: “We are both fiscal conservatives, there’s no question about that. I think how I would differentiate is how I would go about carrying out that mandate. I would take a very collaborative approach with council.”
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The two candidates are seen as the front runners to replace Mayor Dave Bronconnier, who is not seeking re-election. That assessment is backed by a poll conducted last month for Global News after Higgins announced her candidacy.
It found Higgins, a former CTV news anchor, would garner 16 per cent of the vote if an election were held the next day, with McIver close on her heels at 15 per cent. The rest of the mayoral candidates didn’t register much support. Fiftyone per cent of voters were undecided.
In their statements this week, both candidates cite the importance of fiscal responsibility, supporting police and other emergency services, and streamlining city processes that serve the public and business. McIver also provides a few specifics, such as his backing for the airport tunnel, and his long-standing support for zero-based budgeting.
The advantage that both candidates have is name recognition, something that can be of significant importance in a civic election.
Mount Royal political scientist Keith Brownsey said McIver will have to broaden his base. But he can afford to play it safer, given the time he has spent on council, he said.
As for Higgins, her policies are not well known, Brownsey said.
“Higgins, no one knows really what she stands for, stood for, and the rest of it,” he said. “For most of us, she’s an empty vessel.”
While many have pinned McIver and Higgins as the favourites, Brownsey cautions the race is far from over.
“Don’t forget the other candidates,” he said. “This race hasn’t really started yet.”
One of those other candidates is Ald. Bob Hawkesworth, who put out a release of his own Thursday on the airport tunnel. In that release, he said the project is too expensive.
Instead, he said a bus rapid transit service between downtown and the airport is a better solution.
rcuthbertson@theherald.canwest.com
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