With the Municipal election right around the corner Just Sayin’ Caledon readers have been making their opinions known in recent weeks. We’ll be publishing those shared thoughts from A to Z – the serious, the satirical, the thoughtful, the angry, the informative, the hopeful – all with a common demoninator, a genuine love for Caledon and concern for its future….
Quintessential. Before you vote, ask yourself, does your candidate capture the quintessential spirit of your community? Are they the embodiment of what you want reflected in our municipality and what the community needs as it moves forward over the coming term of service? Take a good, close, thorough look at how your candidate has conducted themselves throughout their campaign because these are telling signs of what we can expect from them should they be elected as your representative.
Representative. The most effective community representatives are those that truly align with their community. This isn’t as simple as just saying it is so – one needs to be present, listen, engage with their community to confirm it is so. In this way, the direction they take and the decisions they make will reflect the vision/values of the majority of their constituents. They can best represent those that they may not agree with by seeking them out and listening with an open mind and make sure their opinions are included and that they are truly heard.
Spin. Have you ever sat helplessly and had to listen to someone warp the facts of a situation to suit their own narrative? Or read an online diatribe about a local situation and thought ‘I don’t remember that happening that way’ ? Add in the strategic use of repetition and a healthy use of fist shaking and blame tossing and you have the makings of ‘spin’ – a remarkably effective tool for leading an audience towards a specific conclusion or, conversely, for leading an audience away from information you don’t want them to know. Voters owe it to themselves to learn to recognize spin for the factual detour it really is and to work to gather all the facts before jumping to manufactured conclusions.
Trust. Politicians are in a position of trust, the trust of the public. Citizens need to be able to trust that their elected officials are who they say they are, believe what they say they believe in and will conduct themselves how they promise while in office. Honouring this trust means walking the talk consistently, day in and day out – from day one to their last day when the public is looking and more importantly when they are not.
Unified. The opposite of divided. What some folks would label as being “yes-people” can actually be looked at in politics as a strong suit. The ability to build strong positive relationships with the rest of a Council, for example, can pay off when their support is needed on votes that are vital to the well-being and success of your ward. It is a unified vision and common goals, not a perpetual state of division, that allows a community to reap the benefits of a positive forward-moving Council that gets things done.
Related story: Read Election Thoughts from A to D
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Related story: Read Election Thoughts from J to L
Related story: Read Election Thoughts from M to P
