Your Daily Life Depends On Municipal Politics

Mathew Georghiou Follow Me

Posted this 2016-06-10 11:17 AM ADT (updated 2020-08-05 12:15 PM ADT)

Let's face it, most people dislike politics. Nonetheless, politics is a topic that always seems to find us, whether we like it or not.

Federal and Provincial governments seem to get all the attention, but it may just be that Municipal governments are the most influential on our daily lives.

That's why this upcoming fall election will be so important for Cape Breton Island.

Maybe it's because I follow goCapeBreton.com, but I've never seen so much discussion about municipal politics in Cape Breton. Or, maybe it is because goCapeBreton.com exists, period. This website provides our community with a place to host important observations, questions, and discussions. (Full disclosure: I'm the founder of goCapeBreton.com)

Such a place has never before existed. Sure, there's the wild west of Facebook, but I think most would agree that it hasn't been the best place for meaningful discussions about community. There's also the comments section of the Cape Breton Post online, where you can find the measured musings of Thurston Howell III and other such celebrities. Of course, you can write comments directly on your printed newspaper, too. We lost the Talk Back radio show years ago, so that's not an option (plus, the Tar Ponds is cleaned up now, so what's there to talk about :-)

Without a place for our community to share thoughts, concerns, and kudos, we are left to gather our municipal information from media releases, rumours, and propaganda that is spoon fed to us ... and often directly from those trying to influence our hearts and minds for the benefit of their own personal agendas. That's not a good recipe for a healthy community.

Municipal governments do more than collect taxes and pave the roads. They decide what will happen to our neighborhoods, whether a new restaurant will be welcome, or an existing business will grow. They influence real estate, traffic, public transportation, housing, poverty, and much more. They set the tone and the mood of a community, internally and externally. And, this is why our daily lives depend on municipal politics and the Councillors, Mayor, and Municipal employees that hold the responsibility to serve for the good of the community.

How's that going for us in Cape Breton? Well, I'm not going to attempt to answer that question. That's for each of us to consider personally. But, the best way to do so is to have the information needed to build an informed opinion. And, we now depend on each other to collect and share that information. The media is not going to do that for us, as it has become increasingly evident that media sources can be biased or, at the very least, not demonstrate the desire or ability to ask the important questions.

So, it's up to each of us to tell our stories, to share our opinions and our vision for the future of our neighborhoods and communities.

goCapeBreton is here for you to do that. For free. Without censorship. Here are 6 things to know about goCapeBreton.com

We do not censor your opinion. Just make sure to avoid bad language and personal attacks (read our Terms of Use for details).
Every post and comment uses the real name of a person or organization. Anonymity is only allowed with sensitive topics, such as if you are looking for a job or selling a business.
The people who create and run goCapeBreton.com (including me) do not write the content you see ...unless you see our names attached to it, like you do with this post. Content is posted by people just like you ... and you control your own content (not us).
There are no gatekeepers. You do not have to ask permission to post your content. You do not have to wait for someone to post it for you. You post it yourself. Unlike conventional media, you do not have to convince a reporter or editor to pick up your story. You do not have to write a Letter to the Editor and hope that it gets published. If you have something to say, say it. Here's how
goCapeBreton.com is neutral on all topics. If you think that the opinions on goCapeBreton.com are more heavily weighted in one direction or another, that's not us, that's the people of Cape Breton who are choosing to post their own opinions and content. If you do not agree with what you see, then you can write and share your own views, instantly.
goCapeBreton.com is much more than opinion. The vast majority of the content on goCapeBreton.com is non-controversial or political. It is people sharing their news, events, success stories, and more. For example, check out the events calendar, job postings, weather page, or the free gifts we give away.

goCapeBreton.com will be providing resources to make it easy for you to follow the upcoming Municipal election, so stay tuned! Our hope is that our community (that's you!) will find and share the information needed to make informed decisions for the good of Cape Breton Island.

-Mathew Georghiou-

Posted by Mathew Georghiou
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madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 4:50 PM ADT Reply 0 0 When it comes to political content, and I might be being paranoid a bit but maybe not, even though you are providing the forum for transparency, there seems to be no way you can prevent the spin doctors from taking up space with "opinions" approved by certain or the other interest. The new evil doers of the world, as I like to call many communications professionals, call it lawn turf... presenting an official opinion as if it came from a community group or individual. Do you have any thoughts on how this could be contained, even a bit, or do we have to rely on other individuals to call it out when they see it? Mathew Georghiou My Post Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:11 PM ADT Reply 0 0 Madeline, I'm not sure I understand what you mean ...can you give me a hypothetical example of what "presenting an official opinion as if it came from a community group or individual" means so I can visualize it? madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:15 PM ADT Reply 0 0 Well, sometimes I make a mistake because I jump to conclusions about a person who "just joined 10 minutes ago" and has an opinion that sounds like a press release, even used the same terminology as a recent press release, but sometimes I don't make a mistake. Communications people in political strategy consultation are calling this technique, when I am not making a mistake with my gut reaction, lawn turf... rolling out something that looks real but isn't. The only defence I can think of is public profiles with real names and a little bit more than that, privacy be damned... oops can I say that? sorry... privacy be darned. How far do you go with the minimum profile data points that are public? Mathew Georghiou My Post Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:36 PM ADT Reply 2 0 I see ... like a SHILL ... pretends to be impartial but is really acting as an agent for some type of messaging strategy. Happens all the time in politics, as you know, and on social media too. I think the new term for it is ASTROTURFING :-) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing The no-anonymous posting requirement helps a lot with that. And, you can usually tell if the person lives or has lived locally, so that helps too. But, ultimately, the best way to counter it is for people to call them out on it by using facts. And, using methods like you note about catching phrases pulled from news releases and such, like what happened with Donald Trump pretending to be "John Miller" or "John Barron." With traditional media, there was no way to counter such astroturfing, because your only recourse was to write a Letter to the Editor and hope that it gets published, and even if it does, it is on a different day, etc. Here, you can comment directly on the post, or create your own post to set the record straight. Concerned and active citizenship is the remedy. As the quote says, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 6:15 PM ADT Reply 1 0 oh, you caught me on an "archie bunker" LOL astroturfing it is. madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:19 PM ADT Reply 0 0 Do you verify people, even if you don't publish the data points you use to verify? Mathew Georghiou My Post Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:44 PM ADT Reply 1 0 We "observe" behaviour on the site. We will also Google people (LinkedIn, etc.) to see if they are who they say they are. But really that's only to make sure that we filter out spammers and other berserkers. If someone is a shill but is who they say they are, then really we have to let them post their opinions (paid or otherwise) like anyone else. It's not really possible to be the truth police. That gets into serious investigative reporting that requires deep pockets to do well ... or concerned citizens who do it voluntarily for the good of the community, and a site like this can leverage and scale that become a significant effort.
Peter Sheehan Follow Me 2016-06-11 6:55 AM ADT Reply 2 0 Very good article . Municipal politicians can cause the most good or the most havoc to our every day lives. Municipal bureaucrats control far more than people realize and they are often the more difficult bureaucrats to deal with . They know you and you know them .They are very often far more defensive when there are issues. Your Municipal web sites do not tell you very much about what is going on in terms of taxes, financing, expenses , contracts , job openings , etc . The politicians don't seem to realize they were elected "to run the business ". Looking around all of CB , I think that the future business plan for each municipality is the one missing document that has to be up front and far more visible. In CBRM that Archibalds Wharf decision seems to be one where the council really got it wrong. It came out the blue , right ? Just like the airport in Margaree. The "port" idea has a big price tag and risk . Rail is not resolved. If your taxes have been going up then time to tell the politicians you want to know why or out they go .

Depth

madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 4:50 PM ADT

Reply 0 0

When it comes to political content, and I might be being paranoid a bit but maybe not, even though you are providing the forum for transparency, there seems to be no way you can prevent the spin doctors from taking up space with "opinions" approved by certain or the other interest. The new evil doers of the world, as I like to call many communications professionals, call it lawn turf... presenting an official opinion as if it came from a community group or individual. Do you have any thoughts on how this could be contained, even a bit, or do we have to rely on other individuals to call it out when they see it?

Mathew Georghiou My Post Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:11 PM ADT

Reply 0 0

Madeline, I'm not sure I understand what you mean ...can you give me a hypothetical example of what "presenting an official opinion as if it came from a community group or individual" means so I can visualize it?

madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:15 PM ADT

Reply 0 0

Well, sometimes I make a mistake because I jump to conclusions about a person who "just joined 10 minutes ago" and has an opinion that sounds like a press release, even used the same terminology as a recent press release, but sometimes I don't make a mistake. Communications people in political strategy consultation are calling this technique, when I am not making a mistake with my gut reaction, lawn turf... rolling out something that looks real but isn't. The only defence I can think of is public profiles with real names and a little bit more than that, privacy be damned... oops can I say that? sorry... privacy be darned. How far do you go with the minimum profile data points that are public?

Mathew Georghiou My Post Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:36 PM ADT

Reply 2 0

I see ... like a SHILL ... pretends to be impartial but is really acting as an agent for some type of messaging strategy. Happens all the time in politics, as you know, and on social media too. I think the new term for it is ASTROTURFING :-) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing The no-anonymous posting requirement helps a lot with that. And, you can usually tell if the person lives or has lived locally, so that helps too. But, ultimately, the best way to counter it is for people to call them out on it by using facts. And, using methods like you note about catching phrases pulled from news releases and such, like what happened with Donald Trump pretending to be "John Miller" or "John Barron." With traditional media, there was no way to counter such astroturfing, because your only recourse was to write a Letter to the Editor and hope that it gets published, and even if it does, it is on a different day, etc. Here, you can comment directly on the post, or create your own post to set the record straight. Concerned and active citizenship is the remedy. As the quote says, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 6:15 PM ADT

Reply 1 0

oh, you caught me on an "archie bunker" LOL astroturfing it is.

madeline yakimchuk Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:19 PM ADT

Reply 0 0

Do you verify people, even if you don't publish the data points you use to verify?

Mathew Georghiou My Post Follow Me 2016-06-10 5:44 PM ADT

Reply 1 0

We "observe" behaviour on the site. We will also Google people (LinkedIn, etc.) to see if they are who they say they are. But really that's only to make sure that we filter out spammers and other berserkers. If someone is a shill but is who they say they are, then really we have to let them post their opinions (paid or otherwise) like anyone else. It's not really possible to be the truth police. That gets into serious investigative reporting that requires deep pockets to do well ... or concerned citizens who do it voluntarily for the good of the community, and a site like this can leverage and scale that become a significant effort.

Peter Sheehan Follow Me 2016-06-11 6:55 AM ADT

Reply 2 0

Very good article . Municipal politicians can cause the most good or the most havoc to our every day lives. Municipal bureaucrats control far more than people realize and they are often the more difficult bureaucrats to deal with . They know you and you know them .They are very often far more defensive when there are issues. Your Municipal web sites do not tell you very much about what is going on in terms of taxes, financing, expenses , contracts , job openings , etc . The politicians don't seem to realize they were elected "to run the business ". Looking around all of CB , I think that the future business plan for each municipality is the one missing document that has to be up front and far more visible. In CBRM that Archibalds Wharf decision seems to be one where the council really got it wrong. It came out the blue , right ? Just like the airport in Margaree. The "port" idea has a big price tag and risk . Rail is not resolved. If your taxes have been going up then time to tell the politicians you want to know why or out they go .