Whether it is the homeless issue in Maple Ridge or the Onni development in Pitt Meadows, both contentious issues that appear to have propelled some candidates into the Oct. 20 municipal election, it is important to ensure voters are not distracted by single-issue candidates and pay attention to positions on all of the issues that are important to our communities.
Those would include the environment, transportation, affordable housing, farmland protection, education and economic development.
Having run three successful campaigns for school board and two for Maple Ridge council, I can attest to how overwhelmed candidates will feel as they navigate myriad questions related to issues that they never knew existed.
For example, in the 2011 election, when asked how I felt about the use of beaver traps, although minor in the grand scheme of issues, there was a voter behind the question who deserved my thoughts. Hence, I now know all about beaver traps.
My nine years as a school trustee also expanded my knowledge of the challenges parents face and left me with admiration for that level of politics, as it is a thankless and under-valued role, especially when you consider school trustees are often responsible for overseeing budgets that equal or surpass those overseen by their council colleagues, but are considered by many as an afterthought on the municipal ballot.
Yet, both school board and council candidates will be fully engaged in the election and deserve equal attention.
Serious candidates, not single-issue ones, will continually hone their platform and pour over every written word, both the ones they write and those that are written about them. Every spare moment will be spent on election activities involving social media, brochure creation and distribution, ordering and placing of signs around the community, hoping beyond hope they don’t get destroyed, and looking at every opportunity to get themselves in front of the electorate.
New candidates will be surprised to find out their name has been included on a ‘list’ that claims they are ‘friendly’ to the issue relevant to its creators.
And some of them may be equally surprised to find out they are not on such lists.
I remember my husband being choked when he received a letter from his union letting him know which school trustees were “union approved” and I was not on the list. He was not choked that I was not on the list, as I didn’t care, but it bothered him that his union dues were going towards political propaganda that had nothing to do with his industry, a practice that is still allowed under the new legislation governing B.C. elections.
Regardless, being dissected by organizations that are looking for ‘friendly’ candidates remains a reality of elections and difficult for those new to politics to navigate, as there is an urge to appeal to the masses in order to get elected.
Labels such as ‘developer friendly,’ ‘union puppet,’ or ‘tree-hugger’ are thrown around to dissuade people from voting for certain candidates. Yet, many candidates wear these labels with pride, knowing their voter base is derived from people who share their interests.
Incumbents tend to have an advantage, due in part to name recognition and having more information available to them regarding the issues, so they come across, at least one could hope, as being more informed.
Some argue being an incumbent has its disadvantages, as they may face backlash from previous decisions.
Yet, when looking at the historical vote pattern, most incumbents do get re-elected, unless there is an issue with far-reaching concerns that the whole council or school board is blamed for. The last time that occurred was when the Non-Partisan Association, one of Maple Ridge’s few slates, was significantly reduced in the 1999 election, due to controversy linked to building the civic facilities in the town core.
Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows have remained void of slates since then, although some may claim that unofficial ones, or teams, exist.
However, voters need to get past name recognition, whether it be an incumbent, someone with a strong community profile, or has garnered press coverage through recent issues, and research their track records, platforms, attendance and qualifications.
There are 16 candidates running for office in Pitt Meadows and 39 in Maple Ridge.
How candidates respond to questions on issues they may never have heard of before is a good indication of how they will handle the steep learning curve they will be subjected to, if elected. And there will be many platforms within social media that voters can interact with candidates or research their positions on issues, such as this paper.
Take the time to check out candidates’ websites and Facebook posts. Although some candidates have been busy cleaning up their Facebook posts, there are likely enough screenshots being circulated of their ‘what the heck were you thinking’ comments that it will be hard for them to distance themselves from comments and may now regret. This is the reality of social media and some candidates may pay the price for it, or at least they should, especially if they have been disrespectful on social media.
In reality, though, few voters will take the time to research the candidates and only a third of eligible voters will vote, which is why undeserving incumbents get re-elected and single-issue candidates squeak in.
If this trend repeats itself for this election, once again the majority of voters will be relying on the minority to determine the direction for our communities and school district over the next four years.
And with that much pressure riding on those of us who vote, let’s try to get it right this time by doing our research on each of the candidates prior to voting.
Cheryl Ashlie is a former Maple Ridge school trustee, city councillor, constituency assistant and former citizen of the year.