It may seem like a silly thing to give thanks for, based on how most people feel about politicians but the men and women who have put their names forward for mayor, city council, regional district and school board deserve the community's appreciation for letting their names stand.
Alexander Pope wrote the line "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" 305 years ago and nothing has changed. Politics at any level is neither for angels or the meek. Everyone thinks they know what the right decisions would have been, especially editorial writers, but only 56 in our region are so sure of it that they were willing to have their name on a ballot for the election five weeks from today.
The ones that bother to go door knocking will be greeted far too much by doors slammed in their face, rants about how taxes are too high, attacks on their character and other nonsense, all from people who think, to twist John F. Kennedy's words, government should be asking what it can do for them, rather than what they can do for government. Instead, whoever they are and whether they deserve to be elected into office or not, they should be thanked for running for office.
Those two brave souls running for mayor, those 26 gluttons for punishment seeking a seat on city council, the 18 courageous residents who want to make a difference in public education and the 10 who believe they can make regional government better deserve our praise but also our scrutiny.
There are fools among them who believe that there is nothing wrong with government that can't be fixed with some tough talk and willingness to make hard decisions. Sadly, what these candidates identify as tough and hard is actually the easy part of the job. The truly difficult work lies in educating themselves about complicated policies and issues and then voting in a public setting, where some people will be disappointed and angry no matter how you vote.
The Citizen has no intention on endorsing any candidates or encouraging a vote one way or the other on the fluoride referendum. This newspaper, however, will be do its best to identify the fools that believe governing and deciding how to spend taxpayer dollars is a straightforward task. Rather, we'll do our best to let the fools identify themselves for all the community to see. The voters, after all, are always right.
So beware the candidate for any office that has all the answers because their bravado is a mask for their ignorance. Beware the candidate that believes the only thing preventing mountains from being moved is political will because they can't (or won't) see the challenges and difficulty in their path. Beware the candidate who says he or she won't sellout and will stick to their guns because what they really mean is they won't work well with others and they won't accept outside suggestions to make their ideas better.
But also beware the well-meaning angels.
Hugs, good intentions and pleas for peace and understanding are nice but that won't help decide whether a women's recovery centre in the Haldi Road neighbourhood should be approved or not, whether a limestone quarry near McBride is good for the community or not and what is the future of rural schools with declining populations.
The best and the brightest are needed to represent us. Besides intelligence and a willingness to change their mind after receiving new information, they need dedication, patience, passion and a desire to make the community better that exceeds their desire to get public recognition and credit for it.
Thank you, candidates.
Now get out there and convince residents not just to vote for you but why they should bother to vote at all. If you can do that, chances are you've earned a check mark beside your name on Nov. 15.
