Anonymous replied on Permalink
VERY WELL stated!
On October 27, 2014, Ottawa voters will once again vote on their next City Council. The election will have some old faces and many, many new faces. It up to you, the voter, to elect a competent and hard working Council that will guide Ottawa to bigger and better things.
The past four years have had its share of star councillors who have worked hard to make Ottawa a better city. But it has also had its share of duds who have wasted much of the city's valuable resources by not contributing to constructive debate or not doing the necessary work to provide the City with good governance. So, it is up to the Ottawa voter to vote for change, not for the sake of change, but for a better city.
So far, there are four wards where the incumbent is not running so change is inevitable in those wards. There may be more… my fingers are crossed.
However, for the wards that have incumbents seeking another term in office, voters need to a good look at the alternatives and vote for change if they could. They need to get out and vote for the person who will help shape Ottawa for the future. Make it a better place to live, work and play. One of the problems that plague many a democratic election is the power of elected officials to get re-elected.
This stems from their participation with high percentage voting groups such as community associations. Name recognition also works in their favour for those who come out to vote but don’t follow local politics on a day-to day basis. So, the challenge for a new candidate is to overcome the advantage of an incumbent. This is where this 'voter's guide to change' comes in.
I give you the following 5 rules that will help you make the hard choice to vote for change and vote for a stronger City Council. And, the longer your incumbent councillor has been at City Hall, the greater the need to make a change:
If your vote for change doesn't work out too well this time around, you get to vote for someone new in four more years. If you have a candidate that satisfies these 5 rules, then don’t be afraid to vote for him or her.
In fact, I strongly urge you to vote for that candidate in order to give a new voice around the table at City Hall. Your vote counts and City Council needs to evolve to make Ottawa an even better city.
Blake Batson, Ottawa Voter