The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
To idealists, municipal elections represent the purest form of democracy. Untainted by party politics and attack ads, civic campaigns, they believe, are centred around meaningful ideas, not ridiculous trivialities. If only that were the case. While it is true that national and provincial elections are sheathed in mud by the time they end, voters generally cast their ballots based on the ideas the candidates bring forth. Often you don't know your MLA or MP hopefuls on a personal level, so you must judge them on their platforms. In Flin Flon area elections (and this surely goes for other small communities), the opposite is largely true. As one former civic politician so adequately put it, our campaigns are popularity contests in which a candidate's beliefs and plans are oftentimes secondary to their name recognition and other irrelevant details. When I casually talked politics with residents prior to the 2002 and 2006 city council elections, it was rare for me to hear "Her park proposals are just what we need" or "I love his plan for seniors housing." More often, the conversations would denigrate into the frivolous: "He was a dipstick in high school" or "Her kid is a brat, so she must be a terrible parent." On a more positive note, one guy revealed that he enjoyed the occasional beer with one of the candidates, so how could he not vote for that person? I overheard another man say he only voted for the candidates he had heard of. Of course! If he, the almighty authority, hadn't heard of them, how could they possibly be good people with the right approach?! What's more, some voters weren't above basing their decisions on hearsay. I recall a nasty rumour (I won't repeat it) about one candidate proving sufficient to sway at least a couple of voters. Never mind whether it was true. Flin Flon gossip is always guaranteed authentic, don't you know! In fairness, I did speak with other, more savvy voters. A couple of readers noted that this newspaper's profiles of the candidates aided them in making up their minds. They were inclined to evaluate the office-seekers on their plans for improving the city, putting all that irrelevant clutter aside. I wonder how many residents are like them. How many take democracy seriously enough to thoroughly research the issues and find out where the candidates stand? I hope the number is great; I fear it is far too few. If local elections hinged less on inconsequentialities and more on what matters, Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach would be far more likely to choose councils that are fully reflective of the communities' collective goals and values. None of this meant to take away from our present councillors, aldermen and school trustees. They have all taken on an enormous task that carries an abundance of flack and a sparsity of money. Let's commend them, but let's make sure each is delivering the results we want and aren't just fun to have a beer with. Our area is at a crucial point in its history as elections approach this fall in Creighton and Denare Beach and next year in Flin Flon. Mining is struggling, infrastructure crumbling and tax bases dwindling. If there is a candidate out there whose goals for the present and future you share, support him or her. Nothing else is as important when casting that ballot. Local Angle runs Fridays.
