Why I won't run for Council again
By Brent Preston
It has been almost exactly four years since I filed my papers and started my bid for election to Clearview Council. My time on Council has been an extremely positive experience. I think I did my best to represent the interests of my constituents and the Township, I learned a great deal, and I met many wonderful people from all over our community and beyond. But I have reached the conclusion that my own interests, and those of the community, will be best served if I step down at the end of my term in December.
The primary reason for my decision not to seek re-election is simple: I don’t have time to run my farm business and serve on Council, and to do both of these jobs well. Being a Councillor is a far more complex, demanding and time-consuming job than I ever imagined when I first ran. There are the numerous Council and committee meetings, all of which require a great deal of background reading and preparation. But to be truly effective and to move an agenda forward, a Council member must work with Township staff, members of the community and representatives of other levels of government on an ongoing basis. It is relatively easy to go through the motions and participate knowledgeably in Council debates, but an entirely different level of effort is required to play a proactive role and actually get things done. I question whether any member of Council in Ontario today can hold down a full-time job and be a truly effective representative. I know I have struggled to do so.
There are lots of secondary reasons for my decision: I am frustrated that the provincial government increasingly views municipal governments as implementing agencies for provincial policy, stripping us of decision-making powers while drowning us in complex and expensive regulations; it saddens me that the loudest complaints about taxation often come from our wealthiest residents; and it makes me crazy that one or two marginally sane individuals from Creemore can bog down the entire Township in ridiculous requests for information and sour the tone of political debate across the entire community. Perhaps most importantly, I worry that our increasingly centralized, bureaucratic and litigious society is driving up municipal budgets, taking away local control, causing widespread disillusionment and frustration, and generally undermining local democracy. After four years, I don’t feel that I have had any influence on these larger trends.
It is almost five months until the next municipal election, and I hope that those who may have been thinking about running will now throw their hats into the ring. I remain deeply attached and committed to this community, and I hope I can continue to play an active and constructive role in the future. I am proud of my record, and I am extremely grateful to all the people who worked with or helped me along the way. My family and I feel very lucky to live here among such generous and genuine people, and it has been my privilege to represent Ward Three for the past four years.
