A few good Councillors
It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since Halifax elected its current mayor and Council.
New year’s resolutions
By Trevor J. Adams | Jan 20, 2012We’re into another year and Haligonians have once more dedicated themselves to self-improvement, with a raft of resolutions to lose weight, get healthier, have new experiences and be better people. Those are all great notions. But with a municipal election coming up in October, I’d like to suggest a few resolutions that might help you, the electorate, make our city a better place.
Resolution #1: Get engaged. With major development projects (such as the proposed new convention centre) in the works, tremendous economic opportunities growing out of the naval-shipbuilding contract and an election months away, our municipal leaders are making many important decisions this year. To make the best decisions, they need to know what matters to you. As I continue to meet and chat with readers, I’m discovering something: most of you care very much about this city’s future, but despair your ability to affect it. Believe me: you can make a difference. In municipal politics, the squeakiest wheels get the grease. Go to meetings, write to your Councillors—tell them what matters to you.
Resolution #2: Vote. Most Haligonians don’t vote. In the last municipal election, about one-third of eligible voters cast ballots. That means that even politicians with a majority—like the one that Mayor Peter Kelly won in the last election—really only have the endorsement of a small minority of citizens. If voter turnout increased by even 10 per cent, this city would look very different. So vote. And badger your friends and family to vote.
Resolution #3: Choose wisely. In October, Halifax’s Council will drop to 16 members. That means that, no matter how the vote goes, many of the old incumbents who have dominated municipal politics for so long will be gone. This will be your chance to elect a bold new government.
Resolution #4: Quit obsessing over Moncton. Yes, Moncton hosts big concerts and sporting events and they tend to work out rather well. That doesn’t take anything away from Halifax. Halifax needs to compete on the world stage, not with a little provincial city that happens to be nearby. Too often, these sorts of rivalries are just a distraction from larger issues.
Resolution #5: Look forward. Yes, we must learn from our past. From the Commonwealth Games to urban sprawl to harbour “solutions,” there have been many miscues in our past. But in Halifax’s public discourse, reflection often turns to paralysis. I’m not going to hit you with a bunch of airy-fairy envision-a-better-future talk. But it’s high time we, as a city, rejected the notion that we shouldn’t try big things because other big things haven’t worked.
What would you add to the list?
