It is what it is…

 

By Marc Chayer

 

Here we go again!

Municipal elections are upon us and with the fall colours, we see the rise of “ELECT ME” signs throughout the landscape. Up and down the roads, we have distractions thrown at us as the candidates strive to illustrate why they should have the job they are seeking.

As voters, we have the larger job of selecting those who we feel best represent what it is we want and need within our respective communities. The idea of the vote is one no self-respecting citizen should ever take lightly. Far too many died to ensure we have the right, responsibility, and freedom to choose our own leaders.

Municipal elections get a raw deal in this country. They are not seen as “serious” yet the municipal government is in many cases the most important government we have. The actions of the local authority always have a direct impact on us as individuals which is what distinguishes them from other levels of government. Try calling Ottawa and state that as a citizen of Whitecourt, you have concerns. You will get the drift of what I mean.

Yet, we look to our local elections as popularity contests in our communities and not as an important brick in our electoral landscape.

This municipal election carries with it huge importance. This is an election of local officials who once they take office will be faced with problems that will ultimately affect us all. The caribou don’t vote, but you do. Our last line of defence in relation to the range planning will be our local governments.

The local economy is going to require serious people to make tough unpopular decisions with the notion that the next five years could impact us over the next decade or more.

Our hospital has fallen by the wayside as an issue and it needs to be made an issue again as we will more than likely see a new government provincially during the mandate of our local officials and it will be up to them to once again raise the concerns we have regarding our services. Hospitals, roads, and jobs all factor into who we need to choose in this election.

For what it’s worth, I am not really interested in the “sunny ways, sunny days, and everything is good” in Whitecourt approach in this election. What I need to see and hear are what the candidates think about what they see as important. What are the issues we need to deal with to protect the economic well-being of our community?

The leaders elected will ultimately have to face off against provincial and federal counterparts who are seasoned professionals and our community will be in competition with every other region in the province. I am not sure we have time for on-the-job training with so many families looking for answers and a fragile local economy.

VOTE! The people who take the council seats will be the people YOU vote for. Never has a municipal election been so important to this community and by default never has your vote ever carried as much weight as it does this time.

It’s not a contest folks, it’s our future, and it is what it is…