“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” – George Jean Nathan
In 10 days, October 18th to be exact, citizens of Lethbridge will have the opportunity to vote in a new mayor and aldermen in the municipal election. But that’s not to say they will.
In the last election, voter turnout was 22.63%. Out of the 65,835 citizens eligible to vote ONLY 14,896 actually did. Disgraceful. And to make matters worse, no one ran against Bob Tarleck for mayor, giving him that seat by default. This is the guy partially responsible for the $30M+ ABCP investment fiasco, which was only revealed after that election.
My opinion? Stop voting in the same, used-up politicians that have been getting a free ride year after year and start with a fresh city council. We have a good opportunity here to make Lethbridge suck less.
This year, many candidates have been using more than just the shotgun-approach of yard signs and newspaper ads, but have websites and engage in social media. For the first time I have been talking with candidates, openly and have gained their trust, going on more than what’s just printed on a piece of paper. They are engaging me in an open, fluid medium for all to see.
If you’re wondering who are our candidates, what the issues are and how to interact, Elect Lethbridge is a great place to start. To find out their stance on certain issues, Lethbridge Accountability is also fantastic. If you’re on Twitter or Facebook, join the conversation.
And for everyone’s sake, get the hell out there and vote! Don’t be lazy!
UPDATE: Lethbridge College’s student newspaper, The Endeavour, has posted video profiles of our candidates.
I’m a webslinger located in Lethbridge, AB. I love all things nerdy, like cartoons and videogames, and am also a bit of a foodie. When I travel, I always keep my eyes out for hot springs and great places to adventure with my wife, Melissa.
is this lethbian love or freyian love?!
Both.