By Stephen Vance, Editor
There will be new faces on Meaford’s council after the October 27 municipal election. How many new faces has yet to be seen, but we certainly have plenty of choice in this election.
With a total of 20 candidates – five running for Mayor, two hoping to secure the Deputy Mayor’s chair, and 13 candidates seeking the five councillor seats – there will be no shortage of debate and opposing views throughout this election campaign.
As our candidates begin to hit the campaign trail, stomping along the roads and sidewalks of this very large municipality, voters will be taking note of those candidates who appeal to them, and those that do not.
It can be a tough decision, especially with so many candidates to consider. That’s why The Meaford Independent has issued this special municipal election guide. All of the candidates and their basic information gathered in one central place, and even some room for notes for those that would like to take this issue to the upcoming candidate meetings and jot down points made by candidates, or questions for which you are seeking answers.
The candidate profiles contained on our website, and in this week’s print issue, and the upcoming candidate meetings are a great starting point for deciding who to vote for. Another fun way to learn about the candidates is to attend one of The Meaford Independent’s Saturday Morning Soap Box events.
On Saturday mornings at 11 am we are taking our soap box to the streets for candidates to step up, share their visions, and take questions from voters.
Because we want all Meaford residents to be as informed as possible in this election, we have also offered all candidates the opportunity to have their campaign literature included in our Candidate Information Centre located at The Meaford Independent office.
A single location where you can pick up the literature from the various candidates, a soap box for candidates to interact with voters, a candidate section on our website, and a special election edition of our print paper are what we at The Meaford Independent can do to help as many voters be as informed as possible, and the rest is up to you.
As our long-time readers are aware, The Meaford Independent does not endorse election candidates. That’s not our job. Our job is to inform our readers in the best, most creative ways we can, and to encourage all Meaford voters to cast their votes by the October 27 deadline.
We hope that we have done that, and we hope that the voter participation in this election will reverse the downward trend that has been seen in municipal elections over the years.
Twenty residents of Meaford have cared enough about our community to put their names forward and offer their service to us as our representatives on our municipal council.
Whether we agree with the views of a particular candidate, whether we like or dislike a candidate, we cannot forget that they have dedicated a lot of time, money and effort seeking election to a position that, let’s face it, isn’t going to make them rich, and quite likely will add grey hairs to their heads.
So why do these candidates run?
They run because they have a love for our community, and a desire to see our municipality move forward in a positive direction.
It is perfectly fair to express disagreement with how any of these candidates propose we move forward, it is more than acceptable to question their experience, competence, and abilities, but what should go hand in hand with voters and media exercising their right to ask these probing questions is a healthy dose of respect.
Best of luck to all of the candidates in this municipal election, and best of luck also to Meaford voters in filtering through the 20 candidates in order to decide who to vote for on October 27.
