Judging by the number of hopeful Rocky View residents that have already dropped their name in the hat for a seat on council this October, elections are certainly on the mind of the county’s politically minded individuals.
But it should be even more so on the minds of residents that have no intention to sit in the line-up in council chambers.
There’s only so many ways to say how important it is for constituents to have their voice heard in politics before it sounds like a redundant political cliché, but the fact of the matter is it’s a cliché for a reason.
If my colleagues and I went out for lunch and everyone decided that it’d be easiest if I order for the table, and I order steak for the whole group when seven out of the 10 people want chicken, I’m sure someone would tell me it’s my fault. Especially since we’d be splitting the bill. But if nobody spoke up and told me that, in fact, they don’t eat steak because of a psychological aversion to seeing Betsy on a plate, then how would I know to order any different?
You may see where I’m going with this.
It seems that many people leave politics to the hands of chance; A wishful thinking that, fingers crossed, things will turn out in their favour without any input.
But the fact that government decisions bear such a big impact on our everyday lives should be motivation enough to, at the very least, vote for a candidate whose opinions we respect.
While federal government shapes the country as a whole and are the farthest removed from the people, provincial government deals with the nuts and bolts like education, health care, some natural resources and road regulations.
Municipal government is the closest to home, which means its decisions seem to have the most impact. Libraries, parks, community water systems, local police, roadways and parking – these are just some of the areas that can be traced back to the decision made by elected municipal officials.
Every campaign slogan is generally led by some version of, “I plan to represent the opinions of the people,” but that is a difficult mission to accomplish if a councillor doesn’t know whether the majority of the people want chicken or steak.
Write a letter, call, email – we live in a world right now where instant communication is its own life form, so having your voice heard really is an ability you hold in your hands.
Rocky View County’s 2010 elections had a voter turn out of 7,752 people. That’s 34.5 per cent of the 25,534 eligible population.
That number is up from 4,647 voters out of the 16,435 RVC constituents in the 2007 election. The highest voter turnout in the 2010 election was in the Bearspaw area (Division 8).
As the county continues to grow, so should the amount of participation. The 2013 census results showed the County’s population is up 1,595 residents from the 2011 Statistics Canada results, representing an annual growth rate of 2.1 per cent.
The day-to-day lives of 38,055 RVC residents will be influenced by the decisions of the nine councillors who receive the highest vote on election day. Make sure you have a say on Oct. 21.
Do you have a question you’d like candidates to weigh-in on during our October election coverage? Please send them to [email protected]
