Nanaimo voters are spoiled for choice as they go to the ballot boxes this week.
This Saturday, Oct. 15, is voting day in B.C.’s local government elections. Here in the City of Nanaimo, citizens have four mayoral candidates and 29 council candidates to choose from, and some combination of those folks will receive a mandate to lead our municipal government for the next four years.
We don’t need to tell readers that their vote matters. Local government elections are plagued by low voter turnout and so a relatively small number of civic-minded community members will have an outsized impact in selecting our next council. It’s unfortunate that relatively few of us vote, but it does empower, in a way, those of us who do cast a ballot.
It’s obvious that all politicians aren’t the same. Anyone who’s lived in Nanaimo any number of years can think back to various eras at city hall, and recall some of the leadership and decisions that have gotten the Harbour City to where it is today.
The 34 candidates for mayor and council in Nanaimo are scattered across the political spectrum from left to right. There are women and men, young and old, those who come from all walks of life. Candidates would bring very different experience levels, skills, values and work ethic to the council table. At the News Bulletin we’ve made the best effort we can to try to inform voters, through questionnaires, interviews, and debate coverage, and we’ve sold ads to candidates to enable them to share their messages in their own ways.
Whether it’s in Nanaimo, Lantzville, or the RDN’s rural areas, we hope every eligible voter will take a few minutes to go to their polling place and vote for their next local government representatives and school trustees. We know that citizens know best who should lead us where we need to go. Let’s start by going to vote, and then we’ll go from there.
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editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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