I’ve spent a fair bit of time discussing who I am supporting this year in municipal elections. In particular, I’ve talked to a lot of people about Lisa Helps and Ben Isitt. Shawn and I agreed to have signs for both on our lawn.
Lisa Helps because, well, I really do believe we need a change. I have never voted for our current mayor but he keeps getting elected and as a result, our city is overspending in ways I could never have imagined. More than that though, having met Helps, I know that she is a listener and a thinker. She doesn’t make snap judgements; she looks at problems from many angles and considers multiple solutions. This doesn’t always make her popular — she doesn’t toe a party line because she is not aligned with any particular party (though this election she has been endorsed by the Green Party). While some are calling her anti-union, I have spoken to her personally on this issue and believe her when she says she absolutely is not. She has had my endorsement since she announced she was running in January, long before any other candidate publicized their intention.
Ben Isitt is someone with whom I frequently disagree. His politics sometimes lean so far left they fall off the scale, but when push came to shove during our neighbourhood dispute earlier this year, Isitt stepped in and made sure that City Bylaw Officers, Police, and others were informed, coordinated, and able to take appropriate actions. As our neighbourhood representative, he stepped up to the plate and for that alone I am happy to endorse him.
We live very close to Saanich, too — a block from the border — and a lot of what happens there impacts us, too (like the massive upgrading on Maplewood which has doubled or tripled the traffic along Finlayson this year) so I have spent a lot of time talking to people who can vote in Saanich about a couple of changes I hope they can vote in.
For starters, the municipality is long overdue for a change at the top. The incumbent mayor has been there for many, many, many years. Happily contender Richard Atwell is well spoken, well-informed, and ready to make some big changes to how things are done at City Hall and within the CRD. He got involved via the whole sewage debacle but he is not, as some media have characterized him, a “single issue candidate.” Instead, I have found his approach to be refreshing and well-balanced.
For council, there’s another name that stands out, Colin Plant. As with Helps, I was drumming up support for Plant from the moment he threw his name in the hat. He’s been in the region a long time, he has a really good understanding of what Saanich needs right now, and he’s got a lot of energy ready to put into getting some of his wishlist accomplished. He’s a big supporter of the arts — and he put his money where his mouth is by calling for artists to design some of his larger campaign signs. The most impressive thing about Plant though is his engagement through a massive door-knocking campaign (over 8000 doors in Saanich so far). He’s taking notes, and can speak with authority about what residents really want and need from council.
So… this week I took a very big step outside my comfort zone. I am putting in some time for two candidates — I spent two hours on the phones for Lisa Helps on Monday afternoon and will be phoning for Colin Plant on Thursday.
I mean it when I say I am eager to see some change in the region with this election (Shawn has threatened to move us out of the city if Helps is not elected — I’m not sure he’s joking) and I’m willing to back that up with action. I’ve already voted — I took advantage of the advance polls at UVic last week — but if you haven’t, I would urge you to take a look at the platforms for the candidates in your municipality and cast a ballot.
At the very least, please get informed and get out there and vote because both the Saanich and Victoria mayoral races will be close and even a single vote can decide an election.
If you want more information, have a look at the Victoria Vision blog where Shawn has been helping to create some video content and where they have lists of all the candidates in each of our many, many municipalities (which reminds me, if your municipality has an amalgamation related question on the ballot, please consider voting YES to at least look into ways we could make better use of the region’s resources). If you prefer to talk to a person, virtually every candidate is eager to win your vote and happy to spend some of their time answering your questions.