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New bosses much the same as old bosses

Once again, the status quo held fast as about one-third of the electorate voted for municipal politicians on the weekend

With a few exceptions, the municipal elections entrenched the power of elected officials and showed voters have no great desire for change.

As usual, voter turnout was low (although up slightly in a number of municipalities, notably Vancouver) even though the municipal level of government affects people in more ways on a daily basis than other levels of government.

The result is that mayors have become more powerful, and a middle-of-the-road philosophy dominates the political landscape.

In Vancouver, the far-left COPE was shut out. The rightwing NPA landed just two council seats, but the centre-left Vision Vancouver has emerged as the dominant, potent political force in the region.

In Metro Vancouver, more than a dozen incumbent mayors won re-election, with many of them piling up big majorities. Mayors like Vancouver's Gregor Robertson, Surrey's Dianne Watts, Richmond's Malcolm Brodie and Burnaby's Derek Corrigan have become immovable political czars for the region.

Watts, Robertson and Corrigan, in particular, have all but vanquished their opposition as their political machines have become even more powerful.

While they all tilt right or left, none of them pushes ideology very far. They don't go looking for problems, and instead appear to focus on solving them.

For the most part, they play it safe along with their councils and as a result give voters little cause to boot them from office. For all the abuse Robertson has taken for such things as bike lanes and backyard chickens, the voters obviously didn't think they were the kinds of issues on which to vote him out of office.

One of the few incumbent mayors who did lose - Abbotsford's George Peary - probably lost because he backed a controversial P3 project for drinking water.

It was the kind of issue that had an ideological aspect to it, and the result was that a vast majority of voters turned against it and the mayor championing it.

There may be a lesson here for the provincial political scene. Embracing anything too right wing or left wing at the civic level can exact a hefty price, and the same may hold true for the provincial level.

For example, it would appear to be wise for Adrian Dix and the NDP to steer well clear of anything linked with policies associated with COPE and to instead align itself more with Vision Vancouver and its more moderate positions.

In fact, Dix and his gang appear to be doing just that.

As for the B.C. Liberals, normally they could take heart from the fact that incumbents have proven to be so powerful. But that may actually work against them at the provincial level.

After more than 10 years in power, the "time for a change" argument can resonate quite well at a higher level of government than the municipal level. It may well prove to be the NDP's slogan in 2013, as it was back in 1991.

The B.C. Liberals can take some comfort, however, in the fact the municipal election results did not show much evidence of a big shift to the left. In fact, the most visible left-wing group out there - the Occupy movement - appeared to not have any impact at all. Its main perceived opponent in Vancouver - the Vision-dominated city council - was re-elected, and the party calling for its immediate end doubled its seat count.

In Victoria, where another Occupy protest camp was located, three left-leaning councillors were voted out (including Phillippe Lucas, the Green councillor who wanted council to pass a motion strongly supporting the Occupy camp).

If there really is a lot of support for the Occupy movement - as its supporters insist - why was it not evident in the voting booth?

After all, municipal governments keep their money in those supposedly nasty banks. They play a pivotal role in dealing with homelessness.

They can, through such things as property taxes, have a major impact on the financial status of the middle class.

Those are all issues the Occupiers insist have to be addressed differently. Yet, the Occupiers seemed to have behaved like the majority of British Columbians. They stayed home, or in their tents, and declined to vote.

Apart from the tiny group of Occupiers, the general crankiness that occasionally flares up over such issues as tax hikes simply wasn't there on voting day.

The result is more of the same, with the same politicians running the show.

Keith Baldrey is chief political correspondent for Global BC.

Keith.Baldrey@globalnews.ca