Next year is municipal and school board election year.
Campaigning for 2025 has officially begun in the largest communities such as Edmonton and Calgary, since we are now less than 10 months away from election day. Campaigning in many other communities, especially mid-sized cities and some counties, will begin in January.
What should we look for in candidates?
Many may disagree, but we need mayors, reeves, and councillors who are close to the action. They must understand policies, ask tough questions, walk the streets, and drive the roads in their communities. We do not need politicians hovering at 30,000 feet and never landing. They must be able to land and read financial statements.
We need elected officials who knock on doors, know the names of many of their municipal staff. We need elected officials who know the issues and who ensure the bylaws and policies are always current. We need elected officials who ensure graffiti is removed, proper signage is on the roads, and are accessible to be contacted by the public directly.
We do not need emails and phone calls that are filtered by the administrations or the mayor or reeve’s office. It is not overwhelming for an elected official to handle the emails and calls one receives. It is the job. Trust the author on this – it is not overwhelming to answer the calls and emails that an elected official receives. If you believe otherwise, you have been fooled. Elected officials are paid to do it. We need council members who are on duty, council members who GBWA (Govern by Walking Around). We need council members who do Gemba walks (a Japanese concept meaning to get out and about).
We need elected officials who have landed their proverbial helicopter, not those who believe they need to stay hovering at 30,000 feet.
If the incumbent members appear like they are “just passing through,” let them pass through quickly and let’s elect grounded and available officials who show up at town hall meetings. Let’s elect officials who show up for face-to-face meetings, show up in council chambers face-to-face and earn what they are paid.
We need elected officials who are adding policies, not looking to delete or consolidate policies. Elected officials should not overstay their welcome; three terms is plenty. In recent years, elections, having moved to four-year terms, serving three terms is long enough and four terms should be out of the question. Vote the career politicians out of office. After 12 years they are likely in it for the money or the title instead of taking a call or answering an email.
In 2025, let’s elect long term thinking, hard-working, grounded elected officials who serve their communities, their regions and their provinces. The world is run by those who show up, not by those who Zoom in. Council members: show up or don’t run.
And that folks, is how it should really work.
