The 2020 civic election is a little more than two months away.
As always, we’re hearing speculation in the community on who will let their name stand for the next four years. There’s some interesting names in the rumour mill, but nothing has been confirmed.
We hope to see numerous highly qualified people on the ballot for this election.
Nomination forms are now being accepted for the next four-year term of Estevan city council. The previous term has been a tricky one, with triumphs, trials and tribulations. Some challenges council had absolutely no control over, and others that felt like a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
There’s never an easy time to be on a municipal council or government, in any community, but the next four years will definitely not be easy for city council. The next council is going to be tasked with guiding this community through a murky time. Our short-term and medium-term future is uncertain due to the phase-out of conventional coal power. The next council will have to be a big part of diversifying Estevan’s economy.
They’ll have to lobby the government for the future of carbon capture and storage (CCS). While the days of conventional coal power are numbered, CCS should still have a role to play in the future of power production in Saskatchewan. CCS shouldn’t be limited to a stand-alone at the Boundary Dam Power Station.
And they’ll have to spend the initial months of their term navigating the community through the challenges associated with a pandemic.
We need bright people on council. We need articulate people. We need people who have diverse backgrounds. It’s not just good enough to have seven entrepreneurs, or seven people from downtown. A couple of people who work in the oil industry, or who have connections to agriculture sector, would be welcome additions.
It would be nice to see a couple of the keyboard warriors step up and let their name stand. We all know the types. The ones who constantly rag on city council, but when it comes time for them to actually step up, or offer alternatives, or provide good ideas, they’re nowhere to be found. They might be surprised how tough it really is to be part of council.
(Note: if you’re the type who thinks that issuing a request for proposals for a third arena means that we’re definitely getting a third rink, then please don’t run for council).
There’s going to be open seats on city council. Two council members have said they won’t run again. Others are undecided. No doubt this term has taken a toll on all of them. And it’s not going to get any easier.
And the new people on council have to be committed for the long haul. You can’t get onto council and then realize six months later that it’s not for you, and spend the next 3 1/2 years as an absentee councillor, or resign and force a snap by-election that cost taxpayers a lot of money.
If you’re on council, you’re doing it out of love for the city. You don’t get paid a lot, but you put in a lot of hours. You have to put up with the members of the public who think that you have nothing better to do than to talk to them about city issues, even when you’re out with your family. Social media has only added to their opportunity to criticize, and they get to do it from a keyboard, and often while not using their real name.
But serving on council can also be a really rewarding job. You know that you’re making a difference. You know that over the next four years, you’re going to play a key role in reshaping the identity and direction of this community. And you do get to work with some pretty good people.
Hopefully we can get at least seven really good people who want to step forward and shape this community, not just for the next four years, but for the years after 2024.
