| It is that time again in the worldly realm of municipal affairs when the incumbents and the ‘wannabe’ candidates sit and cogitate taking on the responsibility of running a town or city. Meanwhile, the contented and discontented discuss the issues over coffee, dinner or beer, wondering among themselves what could have been and what could be. People are vocal as they discuss their concerns vigorously but, if you believe the numbers that typically show up, there will still be an extremely poor turn-out on voting day. Some say the municipal democratic process is the one that touches us the most on a daily basis. It is also the one that we can potentially influence the most, where we can have our concerns heard and hopefully dealt with at the grass roots level. But, nevertheless, this fall approximately 39% of the eligible vote in the three jurisdictions on the coast will show up, while 61% will stay at home watching re-runs of some sitcom (maybe MASH) or enjoying some other form of entertainment. It’s only one day every three years (1095 days) or 26,280 hours, but they are too busy for the hour it takes or worse, they just don’t care. The few voters who do turn up on election day scratch their heads and ask why others are so apathetic. Municipal contenders may seem less sexy in the face of the high-running emotions of provincial elections or the sound-byte, commercialized federal race. And at the federal level, at least we see almost 60% voter turnout. We could discuss whether or not all citizens should be allowed to retain their vote if they never use the privilege. And this might segue into another discussion on why citizenship is a requirement when most of the commercial owners are not allowed to vote. How’s that for acting democratic? Just give us your tax money but get no say in how things are run.While it seems that few care, there is still a small group who would like to be, or already are politicians. Why in the world would anyone want to be a politician when the amount of respect given ranks right up there with lawyers and realtors…(of which I am one). Where is Rodney Dangerfield when you need him? Respect is no longer a motivator because very few people would say that they respect politicians. Perhaps we should look back to the days when politicians were thought to be a better breed of person than they are now. Current opinion often presents them as opportunists and self-serving individuals. Is that true or have we created a system that only attracts those types of individuals? When asked about the one politician we most admire, we often mention the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Tommy Douglas, Margaret Thatcher, John A. MacDonald, John F. Kennedy, Indira Gandhi. Typically,
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they are not the local incumbents and usually, they are the big players on the global stage, dead or alive. These larger than- life politicians dealt with the mighty issues of world peace and widespread topics that emotionally resonate with all of us but really, we could argue that they have had minimal influence on our day-to-day lives. So, what is the call of the wild that compels an individual to bare it all and ask their community of friends and peers, young and old, to endorse them in an election? They claim that they are ready to steer the cumbersome ship of the public domain through the shoals of popular opinion, buffeted by the crosswinds of special interests and pelted by frequent downpours of biting cold criticism while maintaining the bilge pumps of a demanding infrastructure. Why do it? Why not stay safely at home involved in their own thoughts, secure in the knowledge that they will not be scrutinized by the usual group of critics. But from the rich archives of historical fiction and nonfiction to the massive tomes of biographies and autobiographies, from the Last Spike to Paris 1919, from Caesar in Gaul to Harper in Ottawa, individuals have answered the call. Every one of them felt that they could do it better and felt compelled to act on this sense of responsibility to move others towards the realization of their dreams.Feeling responsible for the “tribe” is a primary motivator and most people enter into the realm of politics because they want to help, sometimes at great cost to themselves and their families. I find it laughable at times when I hear people accuse “those damn politicians” of only being in it for the money. Politics is not the right place to make money. There are many more lucrative areas in which to make money and not under the all pervasive public eye. Whatever the motivation, your municipal Council is you. Look in a mirror and what you see is your own community. If you don’t like it, change it; if you like it, support it. It is time for everyone to engage in the destiny of the coast and help this beautiful community sail into the future. But don’t whine and complain unless you are doing something constructive to help, whether that’s voting, supporting candidates or incumbents, or serving the community yourself. It’s time for all of us to walk our talk.
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