We’re about 30 days away from a municipal election. In my opinion, probably one of the most important elections our city has faced in a long, long time.
Why? Simple. There will be a new mayor, a couple of new At Large Councillors, a couple new ward Councillors – and a whole new look to the council. Its the perfect time to choose wisely. You have to do your homework, you have to pay attention, you have to vote. If you don’t, you cant rant and ramble on those Facebook groups that become a cesspool of negativity. This is on you. Yes…..YOU. It’s time to start thinking about what you want changed, what you want fixed and who you want to represent you. It’s an important roll you have – but its even more important that you spread the word. I have a daughter in university. I can guarantee you that she has not thought about the municipal election for one second. School is busy, life is busy – time is short. But, this could have a pretty big effect on her as she graduates and starts a career during the next term of council. It’s those people that don’t think the election matters you need to reach out to – or at least start conversations with. It doesn’t mean you have to join a campaign, it just means you need to be aware.
On the candidate side, I’m shocked I haven’t seen more. I see one candidate doing daily videos just talking to people and about issues. He’s got my vote. I see one incumbent reaching out on line with posts and videos about issues and not about fluff. Then there’s the others who are trying to reach people on line but haven’t because their messages aren’t getting through. I’ve had to do some searching to find them. It’s just the way of the world now. But all of them have to step up. And we as a community need to do the same and stay informed. Look, i’m not saying its a full time job to do your homework on candidates. It doesn’t have to be. Just pay attention, and more importantly, pay attention to the ones that are staying silent. There are Councillors now that to me are way too comfortable with their seat – and they shouldn’t be. Sadly, the results of previous elections have been solely on name recognition and not on platform. An honest politician will admit that. But this election is different. There are a lot of really smart people running for a lot of positions that can truly make a difference. We need to learn more about them if we’ve never seen their name before. Look for those people, ask questions, send a message and learn about them.
With so many candidates running, debates are nearly impossible. There’s simply not enough time in one setting to truly understand where someone stands in a debate. That’s unfortunate. Especially in a mayor’s race. We have a new mayor coming, we don’t know who it is, we don’t know what all of the candidates stand for and we don’t have a chance for them to stand up and debate the issues to show who’s truly connected to the community. As voters, it’s going to be a tough choice. With so many candidates, blindly voting for who you ‘think’ represents you might in fact split votes even further and we could be left surprised on election night with the result. The only way to combat the split vote is to…..well……vote!
The At Large race is the same. We have 5 to pick. But if you’re staring at a ballot thinking you have to pick 5, you don’t. When you pick your favourites, say the top 2 on your list, and blindly fill in ‘whatever’ for the others, you’re adding to another split there and maybe helping someone you don’t want to see in a seat. It’s a lot to consider. Again, especially with so many candidates At Large the risk of a split is very high. Think about it – choose wisely – and encourage everyone around you to do the same.
Issues matter. Ask questions. Find out if your incumbents are happy with the tax increases and your water bill, find out if the other candidates especially the new ones have a plan or an idea how to fix those two simple issues. From what i’ve seen on line, no one is talking about it, no one is mentioning it and no one has an answer besides the scripted answer: “We have to do something about it”. Like what???
Candidates – you have to step up. You have to tell us more. You have to help us understand why we should pick you.
Voters. Please vote. The community is counting on you.
Just my two cents.
~John
