The clock is ticking for municipal election 2010. Deadline for submitting nomination papers is Sept. 10 – only a few short weeks to go.
The election promises to be a contentious one in a lot of communities. We have already grown weary of the campaign underway in Toronto since the start of the year. One would think that is the only municipality in the midst of election fever. Even in this part of Ontario, where acclamations are far from rare, the galleries of council chambers have begun to be occupied by the occasional person who is clearly observing and getting up to speed on issues.
Running for  municipal council requires such preparations. Gone are the days when municipal council was made up of people whose wealth and status gave them the right to make decisions for their communities, and elections were often little more than a formality.
Municipal council has become much more than a right or reward. For some, it is a stepping stone to a career in politics, a way of testing the waters and gaining experience before making a full commitment at the provincial or federal level.
For others, serving on municipal council is a way of giving back to the community. There is a world of difference between this and the old concept of a position on council as a right or duty. Many council members of the past devoted everything they had to making their communities better places in which to live and work, and their dedication continues to serve as an inspiration. But serving on council these days involves a lot less glory and more hard work.
Some run for council because they have ideas and skills to share, some because they get talked into it by well-meaning friends, and some because they get so angry about they way a specific issue has been handled that they decide to put their money where their mouth is.
Many are seeking a second, third or fourth term on council because they feel now that they know the ropes, not to mention the issues, they need to stay on to make sure the job gets done right. Those dreams of spending Saturday evening with the family, and being able to walk down the street without getting cornered by an irate citizen, will have to wait.
Whatever their reasons, they are in for an exciting couple of months of campaigning. They will meet people from many walks of life in parts of the municipality they never knew existed. They will hear stories that will bring tears to their eyes. And they will learn an amazing amount of information about their community and the people who live in it. In an odd way, this makes every candidate in the coming municipal election a winner, although only a small percentage will actually serve in office.
We, the voters, are also in for an exciting couple of months. When faced with several of our fellow citizens who want to represent us on council for the next four years, the least we can do is find out who they are, why they are running for office, and what their stand is on issues that are important to us.
And the issues are important. The federal government may declare war on a foreign power, while its municipal counterparts declare war on giant hogweed; the provincial government may determine the direction of such crucial issues as education and health care while municipalities are limited to recreation and roads. But municipal governments are the ones that determine the quality of life, and to a large extent the viability, of the communities in which we live and do business.
If we care about whether this community has good roads, reasonable taxes, recreational opportunities and whatever else it takes to not only keep existing residents and businesses here but attract new growth, we need to play an active role in municipal election 2010. Very few of us have what it takes to run for office, but we can all make sure we have what it takes to make a wise decision when we vote.