It’s that time again, everybody! Time for us to cast our votes in our municipal election (this Saturday, if you weren’t sure). I think the municipal level of politics is one of the most fun ones and also sadly, mostly ignored by the majority of eligible voters. It almost seems to me like interest in politics is a trickle-down kind of affair. Maybe for those who aren’t politically minded to begin with, by the time we get to city stuff they just don’t have any f*cks left to give.
Until it impacts them on a personal level.

Municipal forces handle all sorts of important things that feature in your day-to-day life. Yes, we’re talking about permits and business licenses, but we’re also talking about your drinking water, sewer systems, parks and recreation, as well as the by-laws which may be unique to your city. When you consider how important those types of things are, you may suddenly find yourself wondering about the people we have running the show.

But, I know. I know. You have so much on your plate already, who has time to research candidates? And obviously there’s no use in casting your ballot without doing a little digging, right? Well, that is the responsible way of looking at it and I appreciate that you’re being thoughtful when making this decision. Worry not, my friends. There is still time to commit to voting responsibly in this election.

This is crunch time and I don’t expect you to go diligently read every candidate’s website this late in the game. One great way to get to know more about your choices is to check out this questionnaire from TriCity News (good lord the ads are hideous, I’m sorry). You can get an idea of the things each person values and what their intentions are by reading (or watching) these responses. This is a great little starter pack that will meet you where you are at , which I’m assuming is in the realm of “explain it to me like I’m five”. Reading these responses might even bring up some questions for you, or make you think about stuff you otherwise may not have. You can also check out the Candidate Summaries posted by the City of Coquitlam.

You get to choose eight councillors, four school trustees and one mayor to represent you at the civic table. Some of these people are incumbents, looking to return for another term in their position. Take a look at their track records. What sorts of votes do they cast? What types of changes do they support? What kinds of issues have they stood for? When you find people who align with your views, jot down their name and voila! You’ve just committed to voting responsibly in this election! Easy peasy, right?

Right!