As of Monday, the race for mayor and spots on city council, both in St. Albert and in municipalities across the province, got under way. While candidates spill out onto the streets to knock on doors, put up signs and try to generate as much public exposure as possible, it is also time for all of St. Albert, Sturgeon County and Morinville’s electors to get to work as well.
The individuals who filed their nomination papers on Monday morning to officially contest a municipal government race might be out to win, but as voters it is our responsibility to decide who is worthy of support. And when it comes to our city, there is no more basic form of democracy than a municipal election. It is at the core of our daily lives, building roads, planning development, providing water, collecting garbage and delivering all of the other essential services of life we so often overlook. These are the people who, if elected, will decide how much we pay in property taxes and services and what we will receive in turn.
And yet, it seems we as electors choose to overlook municipal elections as an inconvenience or a waste of time. How else does one explain the dismal turnout in 2007 where only 37 per cent — barely one-third of eligible voters — bothered turning out to cast a ballot in St. Albert. Numbers were similarly anemic in Sturgeon County and in Morinville. There was also no race in either school division last time, unlike this year, when trustee positions will be contested in both the Protestant and Catholic districts.
Too often the excuses for not voting are repetitive and simplistic. Someone didn’t have the time, didn’t feel informed enough about the issues or simply had no interest whatsoever in a municipal vote. But any such reasoning is ultimately flawed. Yes it’s the candidates’ jobs to secure our votes, but it is also our jobs as voters to do our homework and decide for whom we will vote. That process starts now.
Eligible voters can claim they don’t feel informed enough about the issues, but the truth of the matter is they never took the time find the information. While candidates must tell us what they stand for, if for some reason we don’t know, the information is out there and it’s easy to get. Whether by going to one of the campaign forums that will be hosted in the city, reading the pages of this newspaper and our online election page, visiting a candidate’s website or even calling them personally and asking them your questions, there is no reason not to be informed.
We have seen the mobilization this year of groups of citizens dedicated to a particular municipal cause. From the St. Albert Taxpayers’ Association to the residents suing the city over the 70 Arlington Dr. development, the public is becoming increasingly engaged in civic affairs. From taxes to development to public safety — even the schooling of our children or grandchildren — municipal issues affect all of us. And while joining a particular group is one way of becoming involved, casting a vote is equally, if not more so, powerful.
Now is not the time to decide for whom to vote but to start doing our homework. We have a little less than four weeks to select the people who will take our municipalities into the next three years and, in concert, what will happen to our city as a result. The information is there for the taking. Let’s use it to our advantage.
