Today some Williams Lakers will be going to the advance poll to cast their votes for the people who will govern the city for the next four years.
Time for Aunty Di’s election comments.
For starters, I liked it back when half the council was elected each year. Politicians really were accountable then. They had to be — they faced a yearly performance evaluation by the electors. Some said two years wasn’t long enough for a council to accomplish anything but that was hooey. If the projects councillors were working on were popular, incumbents were re-elected.
My idea of an ideal council would be made up of independent thinkers from diverse backgrounds who wouldn’t all sing the same song.
An all business-oriented council isn’t any better than an all non-business one.
Running a city is like running a business in that the people in charge need to know how to manage both money and staff.
The difference is that a government’s job is to provide service, not make a profit.
There should be a councillor or two who knows and cares about meeting the city’s social needs, which range from crime rates to affordable housing.
Also, it’s a rapidly changing world. Council members need to look beyond the next election and have some backup plans should things go awry. It would be helpful, too, if some of them gave a thought to climate change (it really is happening) and protecting some natural resources for use by future generations.
I hope the next council will review existing studies and policies and past practices before they re-invent the wheel.
There are lots of choices this time around, candidates come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are youngish, some are oldish. Three of the mayoralty candidates and five council hopefuls are seasoned politicians.
Newcomers could have fresh ideas. Choose carefully because who knows what challenges the next four years will bring.
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.
