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Thanks to all the candidates, and good luck!
e-KNOW Editorial
It’s come down to this – the day before the election – snowy mountain November.
All across the East Kootenay tonight there will be nervous heads laying down to rest. Some will be wondering if they should have done more door-to-door campaigning, others pondering if they should have spent more on advertising, or hosted more public events, or been involved in more community organizations, or worked at being better known in town. Others still will be wondering exactly what they may have gotten themselves into, while others are wishing they’d run for the hills rather than run for re-election.
Running for local politics takes a heaving grizzly bear pre-hibernation dump-load of courage.
It also takes a heap of savvy and a pile of work and a tub-full of piss and vinegar in order to climb on top of a chair and shout at the rest of one’s community members – ‘I can lead you from the darkness’ or some other slogan that seems right.
Once candidates have passed the point of no return and the campaigns officially kick into gear, there begins the task of having to separate oneself from the herd. Some candidates take to such tasks like young bulls, while others feel awkward or mean having to point out a challenger’s flaws or tendencies or failures.
‘That’s politics.’ It’s the same kind of callous shrugging off of less-than-noble actions, akin to ‘no offence, just business.’ That’s the truth of the game politicians voluntarily (or pushed forward as slate puppets) must realize and accept or they will be eaten by the larger spiders.
These are the haunting thoughts flitting through peoples’ heads tonight, all across the region.
The East Kootenay has some fascinating races, four of which bear noting.
No offence to candidates and voters in Sparwood, Radium Hot Springs or Canal Flats, but the ‘big’ shows are taking place in Fernie, Cranbrook, Kimberley and Invermere.
In Fernie, voters have a whack of candidates to select their council from, but it’s the mayoral race that is extremely interesting.
Current Mayor Cindy Corrigan is taking on long-time city councillor and recent recipient of Fernie Citizen of the Year Mary Giuliano.
Now, it’s not like we’re talking about Frasier (RIP) and Ali here. This isn’t a heavyweight battle of the ages. It’s just two really committed women fighting for what they believe is right, and truth be told, there have been some hurt feelings along the way. However it pans out, City of Fernie taxpayers are going to lose an excellent representative when the final ballots have been counted Saturday night.
A similar race is being run in Invermere, where incumbent Mayor Gerry Taft is being challenged by single term councillor Allen Miller. On the surface it is a battle of a young entrepreneur (Taft) against a seasoned entrepreneur, but bubbling beneath are conflicting views of what needs to be done in the town and the region.
Taft’s indignation and “disgust” with the signatories (including Miller) on a letter sent to Premier Christy Clark last June that pushes for an approval of the Jumbo Glacier Resort proposal, says a great deal about this mayoral battle.
Invermere voters also have a large and interesting group of candidates running for council.
Down south in the market centre of the East Kootenay, City of Cranbrook voters have four choices for mayor: 21-year city councillor Jim Wavrecan, previous mayoral candidates Wayne Stetski and John York and business owner Pat O’Connell.
They are four different characters, though Wavrecan and O’Connell appear to be on the same page in terms of growth and development. Stetski has had to wear the tag of ‘Citizens of a Livable Cranbrook’ and has had to contend with being called ‘a slate candidate,’ while York proudly and without hesitation unleashes a maverick sensibility and a touch off-the-wall personality.
There is an audible tremor of nervousness coming from the pro-business and development camp and the Citizens of a Livable Cranbrook camp, as hard core folks in both camps wrestle with the potential scenarios brewing with so many candidates in the running.
Like Fernie, Invermere and Kimberley, Cranbrook also has a full ballot list of candidates to choose from. It should be no surprise to political watchers in the region that the four most interesting mayoral races are taking place along with the four most interesting and traffic-jammed council races.
The last of the big four is the Kimberley mayoral challenge, with incumbent Mayor Jim Ogilvie, seeking his lucky number 13 term, going against the only other person to have held the seat of Mayor of Kimberley since 1972 – Ron McRae.
Some Kimberley voters want a change from the same-old, same-old but the fact of the matter is, McRae is really just Ogilvie-lite. During their mayoral debate, rather than attack Ogilvie, McRae noted on a couple of occasions that he agreed with him and pointed out when Ogilvie deserved some credit. The only thing Ogilvie could note about McRae was his lack of appearances at community events. Not exactly a fire and brimstone mayoral battle – but the outcome will signal a message to Kimberley’s city hall. History will be made with whoever emerges victorious.
It is possible that all four municipal mayoral elections will be nail-bitingly close.
So power to you, candidates all. We commend you for your courage and convictions and may your community members show their respect for your willingness to commit to them by turning out at the polls.
For goodness sake, people. Vote! It is the single greatest freedom bestowed upon us free Canadians, yet such a large number of our citizens opt to stay away from the polling booths. It truly is a bizarre and ultimately pathetic example of how complacent the soft middle-section of society has become.
For many, it is a sense of alienation from ‘the man’ or simply resignation that it doesn’t do anyone any good to be involved in the political system, because they won’t be heard any way. That’s just laziness and weakness, which is the fault of the Baby Boomers and Tweeners as leaders, because so many of us have sluffed off the rights of our freedoms by choosing to stay home and watch TV than spend 10 minutes to go cast a single vote. Our kids are merely following suit.
The basic truth of it all is: local politics is the best kind of politics because local politicians are the most easily held accountable. They can’t hide behind armed guards at the Legislature or Parliament, nor do they have wrist-watch tapping minions hurrying them through snarling crowds.
And that is why local politicians are the most courageous and conviction-driven of the species ‘Electuvus Slavedrone.’
Once again – thank you to each and every candidate running for municipal, Regional District of East Kootenay and school board trustee elections, and good luck and sleep well.
And those of you who did not have to face an election and were acclaimed to office. Cheers.
And yes, the Slate Puppets would be a good name for a band.
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
Above image: Hosmer Moon / Through My Eyes Photography
