On Saturday (Nov. 15), many of us will be heading to polls to exercise our right to cast our ballots in the 100 Mile House municipal election – thanks to our veterans who sacrificed so much to protect our democracy.
Unfortunately, many more people will not even bother voting – even though they know there is an election and probably know, or at least heard of, the two people who want to be mayor and the seven people who want one of the four councillor seats.
These nine people want to represent the folks who live within the boundaries of the District of 100 Mile House.
They should not be shunned; they should be thanked for being willing to take on that responsibility for the next four years.
Why do we have such an apathetic turnout for municipal elections?
Three years ago, less than 37 per cent of the eligible voters cast ballots.
People seemed to have distaste for politicians – regardless of the political stripe.
Many say the politicians “are not representing them or their wishes,” or they complain “they don’t listen to me, so I’m not going to vote.”
However, the District of 100 Mile House is a local government – there is no great leader who insists council members toe the line – as is the case with provincial or federal governments.
Local government politicians are the most accessible of all elected officials. They shop at the same stores and walk the same streets, and they’re more than willing to answer the questions of the people they represent.
Local governments – whether they’re municipal, school district or regional district – are very responsible when it comes to spending our tax dollars.
By law, they have to have balanced budgets, which is not the case of provincial and the federal governments.
So, folks who might think they’re not going to vote as a sign of rebellion need to wake up.
It’s not a rebellion; it’s giving up the right to have an impact on what’s happening in this community.
The next four years are particularly important for District residents – the economy is not great and the forests industry has a black cloud over it with the likelihood of the allowable annual cut being reduced dramatically.
Like every rural community across the country, 100 Mile House has to deal with infrastructure upgrades – sewage is done, but water is next on the list – so the District is better off than most Canadian communities that were developed around the same time.
Hopefully, residents have been paying attention to what the candidates want to do for the next four years – and then get out and vote on Saturday.
