Now more than ever
First off, apologies to those who do not give a poop about municipal elections. These pages are full of what we like to think of as a mini in-paper candidate meeting; a way to compare candidates and their take on local issues.
In this first round, we are publishing responses to three questions posed to candidates for mayor and deputy mayor, in both Clearview and Mulmur.
We have also posed two questions to each of the candidates running for Simcoe County District School Board trustee in our area because we believe there is a lack of awareness about the role of the trustee and their impact on our community.
Next week we will publish answers to questions posed to those running for council seats in Mulmur and Clearview Wards 2 and 5.
We wish we had the space to run a great big spread on all of the candidates running in Clearview. The truth is, while we can’t vote for many of the people sitting around the council table at town hall in Stayner, they have just as much say in the decision making process.
By publishing this Q&A we attempt to inform and engage voters, inspire them to get out and vote, and make an informed decision when doing so. It would be wonderful if everyone was just chomping at the bit to vote but we realize that some people will discard these unread pages, and opt out of the process entirely. The stats from last year’s election tell us that of 12,234 eligible voters in Clearview Township, 5,111 voted with 3,580 voting online and 1,531 voting by telephone. We also know that 32 per cent of voters waited until the last day to cast a ballot.
This year’s voting window is from Oct. 12-22 so, there is time to read these pages, no matter how many cups of coffee are needed. Use them as a springboard for a conversation with the candidates, who should be happy to engage with voters. Attend one of the candidate meetings, which are so generously being hosted by community groups in various communities (see community calendar on page 2 for listing).
Our election coverage happens to coincide with National Newspaper Week, Oct. 1-7,
The theme of the 2018 campaign is “Now More Than Ever”.
It got us thinking about the role of the media during elections. The national media does a great job of covering provincial and federal elections but other than community newspapers, where else will you get coverage on municipal elections? No other news source will provide this essential, albeit boring to some, news coverage.
We are poking fun at ourselves here but it truly is our duty to present you with this election information so you can do with it as you will. Let’s hope you log-on or call in, using the information that has been sent out by the municipality (check your mail!). If unsure about that process contact your municipality or visit www.clearview.ca and www.mulmur.ca.
