Proposal

About 100 chairs had been set out in tidy rows. An aisleway and microphone neatly dividing a right and left bank. Only about 60 chairs were needed.

There are roughly 3,400 eligible voters in Picton. Maybe two per cent of those came out on Monday night to hear the candidates who wish to represent them at Shire Hall for the next four years.

On October 27 Picton will send two new members to County council to represent them. Both incumbents, Bev Campbell and Brian Marisett, have chosen not to run. Six candidates have been nominated to replace them. Five of the six organized the all-candidate meeting Monday. One candidate refused to participate—perhaps betting his personal popularity alone will lift him into the council seat.

The others had gathered to talk about ideas, qualifications and their hopes and dreams for Picton and the County.

It was unsettling that so few people had come to hear them—to ask questions, to learn about the views and goals. As one candidate observed, local government offers true democracy— that is the ability to pick the person, or persons, you want to represent your, and your family’s, interests. No political parties. No ties or allegiances other than to their community.

Ideally, council should be a mirror of the interests, concerns and hopes of residents of the 10 wards. Of course, in practice, personal ambitions and agendas can cloud this picture. But how do we know what these inclinations might be if we’ve never met or observed our representative at Shire Hall? Further, it is wrong to complain that politicians don’t listen to, or speak for our interests, when we can’t be bothered to show up.

A few minutes at the doorstep isn’t enough. Nor are candidate profiles. The survey prepared by Gary Mooney and presented in these pages is a useful tool—but it isn’t a substitute for an allcandidate meeting. These are important decisions. They will endure for four years. They will shape your community.

Picton voters will have another opportunity to meet and assess the candidates on October 16, at Books & Company. They will also have a chance to take measure of the mayoral candidates on October 15.

Other voters aren’t as fortunate. So far, no all-candidate meetings are scheduled in Hallowell, where four candidates are running for two council seats. No all-candidate meetings in Sophiasburgh. Neither in North nor South Marysburgh.

Each of these communities is missing out on an essential aspect of basic democracy. Next month we will take a moment, perhaps longer, to remember those who sacrificed everything for principles of liberty and democracy. Surely part of the respect and honour they are due is that we participate in the institutions and community leadership they fought to protect.

To that end, the Times makes the following proposal to the residents of Hallowell, Sophiasburgh, North Marysburgh or South Marysburgh. The Times will work with you to organize and publicize an all-candidate meeting in your community. If there are folks willing to step forward to do the legwork, the Times will pay for the hall and advertising in these pages and on the Times’ website.

Every resident should have the opportunity to look their candidates in the eye and answer for themselves the fundamental question: will this candidate do what they say they will do? After October 27, it will be too lat

Every community deserves an all-candidate meeting. Each meeting deserves to be well-attended. The Times is prepared to help make this happen.

If you are ready to help, contact me directly at the email below.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca