Maple Ridge councillors Bob Masse and Corisa Bell are organizing a “boot camp” to share their expertise and experiences with people interested in seeking a seat on council.
The first-term councillors were inspired by a similar event in Ontario, which Masse says was a “big success.”
“We figure that we’re all in this together, so why not make it as pleasant and productive a campaign period as possible?”
The boot camp is open to anyone who plans to be on the ballot come Nov. 15. from first-time candidates to incumbents.
They are planning an interactive session, covering a broad range of topics from campaign strategies, stress management, media, advertising, campaign finance realities, identifying the relevant issues, all candidates meetings and more.
Masse said the tone will be positive and non-partisan.
Both Bell and Masse say running for office for the first time can be a scary, confusing and uncertain process.
For example, “just trying to convey your message, in two minutes, at a crowded all candidates meeting is actually kind of frightening,” Masse adds.
“New candidates will have some great ideas and real contributions to make, but may not know how to get their message across in a crowded field or amongst a sea of other candidates,” said Bell.
“Our objective is to help make the election campaign period a more positive exchange of thoughts and ideas, where all the candidates can discuss and debate the issues in a positive manor.”
Register
• The boot camp will be held at Chances Gaming Centre’s board room 22710 227 St, Maple Ridge from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 24. There is no charge for participating, but those interested in attending need to register via email by July 15 - corisa@corisabell.com or robertmasse@hotmail.com.