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'Optics bad': Barrie councillor helms Tory riding association

'It’s situations like this where individuals pretend that nothing’s amiss that undermines public trust in the system,' says political science teacher at Georgian in Orillia
12072022councraignixon
Coun. Craig Nixon represents Ward 2 in Barrie. He's also the president of the Conservative Party's federal riding association in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte.

Barrie Ward 2 Coun. Craig Nixon says he will remain president of a local Conservative Party federal riding association and that being a city councillor isn’t a conflict of interests.

“I don’t feel it is, but I really haven’t given it that much thought,” said Nixon, who was elected to city council Oct. 24. “I didn’t think this was any conflict, no.

“I am more than aware that city council is a non-partisan body and that all members have a duty and responsibility to make unbiased decisions based on what is best for our city, regardless of any party affiliation,” he added.

“At the very least, the optics are bad here,” said Geoffrey Booth, a political science teacher at Georgian College’s Orillia campus. “As the old saying goes, ‘justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.’ It’s situations like this where individuals pretend that nothing’s amiss that undermines public trust in the system.”

Barry Woods, a retired Georgian College political science teacher, also questioned holding the two roles.

“You would like to think that there is an obvious conflict here and it would to most seem like an obvious ethical issue,” he said. “Unfortunately, politicians acting ethical seems a thing of the past. ... The point here is that the ethical bar is not that high anymore.”

Nixon is president of the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte Federal Electoral District Association of the Conservative Party of Canada. He said its constitution allows members to sit on the association’s board for three out of four consecutive years, which would take him to January 2024, or almost a year from now.

Nixon said the riding association does very little between federal elections, however.

“The riding association is not anything that gets involved in any sort of political decision,” he said. “Any riding association is primarily there just to support the local riding and we certainly don’t get into any discussions with the parties, no.

"The main purpose of most riding associations is, in the event of an election, to make sure you’ve got volunteers in place.”

Nixon said riding association members might meet two or three times a year between elections.

He also noted that most people have political leanings of some kind.

“Everybody, regardless of whether they sit on a board or they serve as president or whether they’re a member or just a supporter, I mean everybody in any sort of position, whether it’s political or not, is normally supportive of one party or another, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you agree with everything they do either,” he said.

“There’s been many over the years that I know of who have sat on the board,” Nixon added. “Whether they ever became president ... but it’s certainly not the first or the last time that anyone in municipal politics has been on the board of a riding association.”


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Bob Bruton

About the Author: Bob Bruton

Bob Bruton is a full-time BarrieToday reporter who covers politics and city hall.
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