GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from reader David Gibson on incumbent Mayor Cam Guthrie's social media presence
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Dear Editor:
RE: Mayor’s Twitter switch sparks calls for policy reform
Since his election in 2014, Mayor Guthrie encouraged constituents to engage with the Office of the Mayor via his ‘Mayor Cam Guthrie’ Twitter account.
Here, Mayor Guthrie updates his followers on council business; promotes his official activities as mayor; shares official mayoral statements carrying the seal of the Mayor's office; responds to constituent questions and concerns; and asks followers for their feedback on city issues – from housing to downtown dining - which, as he’s stated many times, informs his decision making on the council floor.
In short, his Mayor Cam Guthrie Twitter account is the most visible and immediate way to engage with the Mayor of Guelph. Not Cam Guthrie, private citizen. Not Cam Guthrie, the municipal candidate. Cam Guthrie, the Mayor of Guelph. That is a big distinction that is too often blurred and lost more than once this election season.
In June 2022, via his Mayor Cam Guthrie Twitter account, Mayor Guthrie invited followers to attend a kickoff event for his re-election campaign that was to be held at Market Square. That seemed inconsistent with the City of Guelph’s corporate policy which states that: ‘no campaigning or election related activities are permitted to take place outside on the property of City Hall in the interest of maintaining a neutral civic and community space.’
Shortly thereafter, Mayor Guthrie Tweeted that the event would be moved to a more appropriate venue and stated: ‘I just want to direct people to my other page (the re-elect page) as that is the right place for election info. You can also follow along on that page for more election specific information at all times. I’m trying my best to keep things separate.’
Earlier this week, Mayor Guthrie announced to his followers that his Mayor Cam Guthrie Twitter account would be repurposed as a ‘Re-Elect Cam Guthrie’ account until after the election. He also restricted comments, which to my knowledge, he hasn't done since he's been mayor.
I’ve heard many unconvincing defences of this practice, ranging from ‘who cares’ to ‘it’s his account’ or ‘it doesn’t cost anything’ or ‘everyone does it'. Let’s look at this another way, if the mayor or your councillor invites you to sign up for an email alert, or a mailing list to keep you up to date on their official activities as representatives of the Ward/City, is it all right with you if they turn those lists into a personal campaigning tool during the next election?
Municipal incumbents have a virtually insurmountable advantage over new candidates. Therefore, the electoral value of repurposing what was essentially a means to access the Mayor of Guelph into a partisan and ideological echo chamber cannot be understated.
This is why the city’s corporate policies are modelled on the principles of fair elections under the Municipal Act. Most incumbents (up until this week, including Mr. Guthrie) didn’t require an explicitly worded policy to simply do the right thing and keep their campaigning separate from their official roles.
Otherwise, why go to the trouble of setting up separate social media accounts? Or separate campaign offices? Or separate campaign staff? Or separate computers, tablets, and Wi-Fi accounts?
Understandably, Mr. Guthrie does not want to address this matter during the election. If viewed in isolation, this particular issue may pale in comparison with the challenges of housing, affordability, and accessible services faced by the new city council.
Still, ethical lapses and mistakes and come in sizes large and small. Correcting an error is one thing. Correcting an error and doing it again is another. How will these major issues be addressed while trust and transparency erodes in such a public way? At very least, if Mr. Guthrie is re-elected and reopens his mayoral account for constituent business as usual, I’ll be more skeptical about his commitment to dialogue and consensus building. Yes, all of that matters.
Whatever your opinion, or preferred candidate, please vote.
David Gibson
