Election over, but candidates urged to stay involved in civic affairs

By Medicine Hat News Opinon on October 17, 2017.

Well, it’s over.

The dust has settled following another round of municipal elections across the province of Alberta.

First and foremost, everyone who put their name forward to be candidates should be commended.

It’s easy to sit around and complain about how our elected officials do business. We all do it, the smug “they should’ve” chats at the coffee shop, around the water cooler, or in snarky social media posts.

It’s much harder to step up and put your name and face out there, to challenge candidates who may have otherwise been shoo-ins, make them defend their positions, and work for people’s votes. It can be agonizing to door knock, to speak in front of hundreds of people at forums. To risk coming in dead last. So thank you, candidates.

Secondly, if candidates were passionate enough about this city to run for council, then they should be passionate enough to remain involved with the city, even if they didn’t nab that or school board council seat.

There’s more to municipal governments than just council meetings. There ares boards and agencies, all of which have a say in shaping how this city is run.

So unsuccessful candidates, here’s a challenge for you: Stick around. Don’t just take your ball and go home because you lost.

This challenge extends to every citizen as well.

There’s no reason council chambers should be as empty as they generally are during meetings. The attendance numbers seen when local seniors were fighting for answers over the Veiner Centre should be the norm, not the exception.

Show up to council meetings. Attend committee meetings that are open to the public. Show up to town halls, open houses, and information nights.

Write letters to city officials about your concerns and ideas.

When the city asks for feedback, don’t just brush it off. Take the time to fill out surveys, and send your responses. Encourage others to do so as well.

Filling out that ballot on Monday is just a starting point when to comes to local democracy and government.