Politics has become exciting for all the wrong reasons

“Municipal politics has never been more exciting.”

The words seem be on the lips of many people these days, most of whom don’t normally follow the mundane business that goes on in a city hall chamber. You hear it in line at Tim Hortons and among parents dropping their kids off at school. It shows up on both talk radio and those spinning Top 40 hits. Twitter and Facebook are creaking with the chatter.

Fueling this conversation are a string of events from across the country making headlines for months with no end in sight. From an apparent culture of corruption that has tarnished municipalities in Quebec to alleged misappropriation of funds by the chief magistrate in London, Ont., and a similar scandal that drove former Halifax mayor Peter Kelly out of local politics, to charges of ethics violations in Mississauga, Ont. Meanwhile, the ongoing train wreck that is Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is beamed into homes via national and international news media and late night comedy programs.

In a new, exclusive poll conducted by Leger Marketing for Yahoo Canada in which we asked Canadians how they felt about their elected municipal representatives, is it any wonder honesty and integrity ranked far and above as the most important qualities we seek in leaders? These trumped all other characteristics by a wide margin, including competency and working for the good of the municipality.

(And, for that matter, does an admission of buying and consuming illegal drugs while serving as mayor constitute honesty?)

The overall results “paint a very dour picture of Canadian politics,” writes our national contributor Matt Coutts. Canadians are “disappointed with their leaders.”

Is it any surprise? From the city hall to the Senate and the Prime Minister’s Office, we see an unwillingness or inability among leaders to assume accountability (hallow apologies notwithstanding) for situations they’ve created, whether willfully or not. These instances paint a very poor picture of the behaviour by our elected officials. The bar has, unfortunately, been lowered.

When it comes to a good leader, it’s not only what they accomplish but how they accomplish it. Good judgment, a capacity for wisdom, an ability to adapt to changing situations and compromise are a few of the traits that Chris MacDonald, a professor of leadership ethics at Ryerson University, identifies as defining that person in a recent column for Ottawa Citizen in the recent fallout at Toronto City Hall.

“A leader is someone who can actually bring people along who can build the biggest tent and have people who have quite different views like the same guy,” argues University of Toronto politics professor Nelson Wiseman in a conversation with Yahoo Canada.

So where have all the good leaders gone, people who are positive role models whom young Canadians can look up to? You can look west, according to our poll, to Calgary and Edmonton, municipalities led by Naheed Nenshi and Stephen Mandel, where their elected officials are held in higher regard.

Unfortunately, all the attention is focused on the sideshow at the expense of the main event. The personal drama and outrageous behaviour has taken the spotlight away from the substance of governing and the business of government. Did anybody care about the role of the Senate until claims of fraudulent expenses made headlines?

When the tickets to the sideshow attractions are cheaper and more abundant than the main event, is it any surprise Canadians feel let down?

Derek Chezzi is Editor in Chief of Yahoo Canada.