When Sun Editor Rick Gibbons called to ask me for a column on local politics, I quickly said yes since turning down media runs counter to my job-description. But by when did he need the article? Rick piped back, "it's not an article: it's a column, a weekly column."

Not so long ago, buying friends beers, and lots of them, was the only way to ensure they would sit through my incessant pontificating. Now the thought of someone actually paying money, albeit a mere 50 cents for the paper, to read my opinion, is indeed a privilege. However, being a columnist is no easy task. A good columnist must offer an insightful analysis of current affairs (beyond what a skilled team of journalists already delivers daily) consistently.

But as the cliché goes: no guts, no glory. Each week I will endeavour to bring you the facts and figures to put local politics into context, an unwavering defense of local taxpayer (residential and commercial) interests, and finally, ideas to frame the debate so we can make our city a better place in which to live, work and play. Rest assured, this will be a two-way dialogue. If you disagree with a column, let 'er rip and email me at [email protected]. (Note: compliments or encouragement are also welcome).

Putting first column formalities aside, let's begin. Belated kudos to everyone who voted on November 13th. Your record turnout of 47% shattered the previous best of 41% set back in 1991. But 53% of eligible voters - statistically speaking, that's over half the readers of this column - couldn't be bothered to cast a vote. While abstaining from voting is an option, it is fundamentally disconcerting, especially given the rising importance of urban regions.

Cities are where it's at in the 21st century. Let's be blunt: this week's Throne Speech was a rehash of the usual Liberal platitudes and we shouldn't expect bold moves from the federal crew until a major Cabinet shuffle, expected later this spring. Ditto for life at Queen's Park, Premier Harris leads a government desperately in search of an agenda. This leaves city hall at 110 Laurier (or 111 Lisgar for you old RMOC fans) as the place where the real-politick action is.

Except for having its own military and currency, Ottawa is quickly taking the form of a city-state. As Mayor Chiarelli pointed out last week in an address to the Greater Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, Ottawa is now the third largest municipality in the country with a population of just under 800,000 and a budget close to $2 billion. We're talking big numbers, big bucks and enormous responsibilities. It's the same across the country. In 1867, less than one in five Canadians lived in cities, today over 83% of us live inside urban regions.

With this magnified size and clout, the necessity to change outdated governance structures is axiomatic. As Mayor Chiarelli - or Mel Lastman in Toronto or Al Duerr in Calgary - will tell you, cities are being asked to provide a multiplicity of services (infrastructure, transportation, social welfare, subsidized housing, policing, ambulances, economic development, etc.) to a diverse community on an inadequate property tax base. Something has to give.

We should all be concerned, including the 53% of you that didn't feel like voting last November. Canadian cities today, while they are legal creatures of the provinces on paper, are in reality, residents in a constitutional no mans (or is that persons?) land. For example, Immigration issues are a federal responsibility but the actual task of integrating new Canadians into established communities falls to various city agencies, not to mention our schools.

Or take infrastructure, Ontario has downloaded responsibility for 85% of all roads to the cities without the requisite funding. And our friends on Parliament Hill fare no better as they continue to hoard 95% of federal gas tax revenues while the City of Ottawa (and others) struggles to find innovative ways to fund new or existing roadway and public transit initiatives. And these are just two of the myriad challenges that Ottawa faces.

If health care was the defining flash point in federal-provincial relations during the last five years, look for cities - how they are funded, treated and what new powers (including taxation) they are given and/or demand - to dominate the federal-provincial radar screen over the next five years.

The Conference Board projects that Ottawa will lead the nation again with economic at a rate of 5.1% (down slightly from 6.6% in 2000). Harnessing this growth, shaping it and facilitating it through the right choices in community and transportation planning will be an immense challenge. But alas, my 800 words are up, enough for today then, we'll explore this growth challenge next week.