Mark your calendar in red ink or fluorescent yellow highlighter. Maybe add a shiny sticker or two. Saturday Oct. 20, is municipal election day.
If you won’t be in town, advance polls or a mail-in ballot are options. Jot a reminder on your calendar for the beginning of September, pick an advance polling date and commit to it.
It’s the one day your opinion really counts, but our two communities, Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, have had pathetic voter turnouts in the past.
In 2014, less than 30 per cent of the 57,522 eligible voters in Maple Ridge, and less than 32 per cent of the 12,573 eligible voters in Pitt Meadows bothered to cast a ballot.
We can do better. We have to. There’s a lot at stake.
If you qualify, please make the commitment to vote: Canadian citizen, over the age of 18, resident of British Columbia for at least six months on voting day, and resident of the municipality for 30 days.
Candidates must meet all these criteria, except they are not required to live in the municipality.
The Maple Ridge election will include a referendum asking citizens whether we support moving to municipal garbage collection.
It’s not news that in Maple Ridge issues around supportive housing, shelters, drug addiction and street people loom over this upcoming election. Despite being largely provincial responsibilities, council has taken the brunt of some residents’ displeasure, and attempts at public discourse devolve quickly.
Those in public office are increasingly targets. Abuse is amplified with the help of a keyboard and an Internet connection. The loudest, most persistent voices can and do intimidate and submerge other perspectives. It’s a concern, in part, because it turns potentially great candidates away from public service.
A friend, Val Patenaude, is a keen watcher of politics.
“If we make it so only oversized egos and sociopaths are willing to run, we’ll get the politicians we deserve. How do we convince the good people we’d prefer to run that they should volunteer to walk into the buzzsaw of ‘public input’? All we can expect from that is, ‘No, thanks’.”
We need the silent majority – the 70 per cent who didn’t vote four years ago — to add their voices. It’s not possible to overstate the threat to democracy when apathy, confusion and fear keep so many from expressing an opinion, even via an anonymous ballot.
No-one wins when a block of single-issue voters elects a majority of single-issue candidates, and it can more easily happen when most voters stay home.
There are new spending rules for municipal candidates based on municipality size and geographic location.
During the 2014 election, no local candidate spent more than the new limits and most spent substantially less. But this time around, no-one can accept union or corporate money.
The changes seek to restrict monetary influence. It’s a positive move.
The Maple Ridge citizen’s report to the Open Government Task Force recommended a move to a council of nine, and suggested consideration of a ward system for electing Maple Ridge councillors.
Both changes would help ensure the diverse areas and demographics of our community have representation.
It’s too late for 2018, but maybe 2022.
A handful of incumbents and hopefuls have already declared.
In 2014, 26 candidates ran for six Maple Ridge councillor positions, and five ran for mayor.
Unofficial slates occur before and after elections. In the interest of transparency and accountability, elector organizations can help vet candidates (for example, at least 50 eligible citizens must sign on for an organization to be formed) and provide additional information to voters.
We had municipal parties through the 1999 election. They can be an effective way for voters to navigate large ballots.
Our governance model is predicated on council members working together in a professional manner and showing up to every meeting well-informed, but also willing to be influenced by their colleagues.
It’s difficult to believe this is currently happening when the vote splits are so consistent.
A glance at the record of previous councils indicates this is nothing new. Working collaboratively does not mean always reaching consensus, but it does mean respecting and carefully considering alternate points of view.
My second challenge is to consider whether you, or someone you know has what it takes to serve our community in a leadership position for the next four years. Discuss the possibilities with friends and neighbours, then step up or ask someone else to run.
There’s plenty of information available about running for municipal office through the Province of B.C., Elections B.C., and Maple Ridge websites, and Maple Ridge is hosting an information session for potential candidates on Monday, June 4th at 7pm in Council Chambers.
Council decisions directly affect Maple Ridge residents in myriad ways. Please, do your part by being informed and, at a minimum, cast a ballot on October 20th.
Katherine Wagner is a member of the Citizens’ Task Force on Transparency, a former school trustee and member of Golden Ears Writers.