Two Sundre residents have commendably stepped up to throw their names into the proverbial hat for next month's byelection.
Tamara Smith and Nolan Blatchford were nominated last week as candidates to fill the council vacancy following the recent resignation of former councillor Jodi Orr.
All too often, the democratic process seems plagued by apathetic complacency and indifference — elections by acclamation should be seen as tragic failures in a healthy democracy. Having no one run is probably as bad as only having one candidate running, as voters are either way left with no alternative options.
So Smith and Blatchford should be applauded for their decision to get involved. Both expressed an interest to become more involved in the community and to learn more about the process behind municipal politics. See next week's paper for feature profiles on both candidates.
Criticizing politicians tends to be all too easy, but actually putting one's self in the hot seat takes an admirable amount of courage. From considering all available information before making a decision to sitting on a number of committees as a town representative, there are many responsibilities associated with being a councillor.
People who don't vote and constantly criticize decisions made by our leaders should put their money where their mouth is and get involved since they apparently seem to think they could do a much better job themselves.
Council had carried motions during its April 18 meeting to call the byelection and set an official date as well as an advanced poll. The main election is scheduled for Tuesday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at town chambers, while the advanced vote will be held at the same location exactly one week prior on Tuesday, June 14 from noon to 8 p.m.
Of course now that two residents have taken the first step by demonstrating a willingness to devote themselves to the community, the rest comes down to Sundre's voters. It's up to them to learn about the candidates and decide who they feel would best represent the community's interests.
Byelections unfortunately don't usually seem to be taken too seriously — turnouts are generally abysmally — even embarrassingly — low. But they are nevertheless important and do play a significant role in forming the guiding hand — also known as town council — that makes decisions for the community.
We wish Blatchford and Smith the best of luck along the campaign trail, and encourage residents to find the time to learn about the candidates and cast a ballot when the time comes.
— Simon Ducatel, editor
