If you ever thought about getting involved to better your community, today just might be the day. In fact if you don’t act today you’re out of luck as the deadline for filing for the Nov. 19 municipal election is at 4 p.m. – today.
Not that you should enter into a three-year commitment to your community lightly but there are many committed, intelligent, capable people out there who talk about running every election and then never quite back it up with the necessary steps.
It’s easy to complain about city hall, likely the most important and influential and accountable level of government there is, but it’s quite another to put yourself on the firing line.
Helping run a city isn’t about one high-profile issue, it’s about seeing the big picture and weighing the alternatives and making the best decision for the majority of residents.
Not an easy undertaking and it helps to attempt to do it while cultivating a thick skin, as many will second guess any and all decisions that may or may not affect them directly.
And unlike a member of Parliament or an MLA, there is no running off to Ottawa or Victoria to spend time with your colleagues away from the maddening crowd.
When you’re a mayor, or councillor, or school trustee you meet and greet the people who are affected by your decisions, or lack of decision, on the street corner, at your kid’s hockey games, at the dry cleaner, at the….
However, with that accountability and direct feedback can come a great sense of accomplishment and a sense of doing your civic duty.
So if that appeals to you and you think you have something to offer, go for it, And do it today.
—Vernon Morning Star
