As this newspaper goes to press, candidates for public office in New Westminster are still knocking on doors, hammering signs into lawns, standing on street corners waving banners, and generally just trying their darndest to get people out to vote for them.
And, if previous elections are anything to go by, despite all of the cheerleading, less than one in four eligible voters in this city will bother to get off the couch and fill in a ballot.
Every election we hector readers to vote. We do it because our vantage point as local media reminds us on an almost daily basis how our elected leaders shape the very city we live in and cover.
Almost every decision in this city is impacted or driven by policies that have grown from political visions, or politically impaired visions. The streets, buildings, schools, community centres, animal shelters, parks, fields and speed bumps are determined by public input and staff recommendations, to be sure, but they are approved by city council or school board members.
And, if the political leaders are on the ball, they are also hiring and promoting managers in city hall who bring with them a hunger for building liveable cities with best practices gleaned from global examples. Never underestimate the value of an intelligent, wise bureaucrat.
There's been a lot of contentious, close votes over the years in this city. In many cases, one elected representative can make - and has made - a heck of a difference.
The ability, and responsibility, to listen to residents, gather facts, weigh options and make decisions that in some cases have to last for generations to come is a very serious matter. Those whom we entrust to make those decisions should certainly be worthy and trustworthy.
But if only one in four of us actually consider who to vote for and vote thoughtfully, can we really expect the best in local government?
If we can't bother to take a closer look at the quality of the candidates, or their positions, why would we then expect wise leadership from city council or the school board?
Every once in a while we get a reader calling and asking a good question about some development, or asking why the city doesn't do this or that like some other city does. When we say they should check with the city councillor who seems to be most involved in the issue or committee - they are often pleasantly (or unpleasantly) surprised after contacting the politician.
This is often the best lesson in democracy. Those elected officials are there for a reason. And that reason is ultimately for good, fair, just government.
That doesn't mean we expect perfection from our political leaders. They're human, they make mistakes, they get angry and frustrated.
But we hope that they look beyond the next election, beyond the next headline, and beyond their own supporters.
Good government doesn't happen by accident or by following some political science thesis. It happens when enough people care enough to vote thoughtfully, and when the people they elect pledge to represent one and all to the very best of their abilities and judgment.
Tomorrow we hope you go to the polls. It makes a difference for all of us.
Pat Tracy is the editor of The Record and Burnaby NOW newspapers.
