Why Municipal Politics? Why now?

If I lived in any other city, I'd probably forego even thinking about stepping into the political ring at the municipal level. I'd be content if my city felt like it was being well managed, if it felt like on the whole things were improving for the vast majority of people. I'd pay my taxes and keep my focus on the many other areas of my life that demand attention. Or perhaps I'd wait a few more years until my kids were mostly grown. Maybe I'd even forego running if I thought council was better balanced, if I thought that everyone's voice was being heard and represented at that table.

But I don't live in another city, I live in Victoria. I live in Victoria, and the city needs people to step up, more importantly, it needs people to step up for the right reasons - out of a love for the city and a sense that we could be doing a much better job for everyone. Out of a sense that we cannot let the problems our city is facing get worse - we have to do better. Further, those who do step up, need to have the skills and abilities needed to make improvements and solve problems. They need to be people who are committed to those who live and work in this city and they need to be willing to work with everyone else around the council table to make improvements. The city we love is at stake and the city will break our hearts and become a shell of its former self if we fail to elect better. A place where people are from, a place where people no longer make their lives or their livings. We must elect better, and far more of our citizens need to do what counts on election day (October 15, 2022): become informed and vote.

I haven't yet decided if I'm running - after all, the prospect is daunting. Those around that table today were put there by an impressive machine. The person who is arguably the most reviled at that table, astoundingly was the most popular counsellor at the ballot box. The top vote getting counsellor garnered 14,205 votes, and the challenge will be to ensure that those who can do a better job are able to get a far larger share of votes than that.  The depressing reality is that even with that many votes, Victoria's most popular (and arguably despised) counsellor has a mandate from only 1 in 5 registered voters, even though they garnered a vote from nearly half of those who cast a ballot in 2018.

To put it simply, if we are to get a better team at council - every Victorian who cares about this city, and is a registered voter in this city, are going to have to do their part and commit to voting on election day - or else we will get more of the same.  

I am seriously considering running, however, before I will commit, I need to be confident that Victorians will commit to doing the one thing that can make change: Voting on October 15, 2022. 

So - if you're committed to voting on municipal election day, and would like to see me run - do me a favour, follow me on twitter @AwaitingJuno. Thanks. 





Location: Victoria, BC, Canada

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