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A fresh look at city council

This is an election year in Red Deer — and that means more focus on the workings of City Hall, from street cleaning to tax increases.
Our_View_March_2009
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This is an election year in Red Deer — and that means more focus on the workings of City Hall, from street cleaning to tax increases.

In the fall, local voters will be asked to either endorse the incumbents, usher in some new blood or do a mixture of the two.

If past experience is any indication of what will happen, you can pretty much bet that there will be few, if any, new faces joining council for the next term. In part, it depends on who intends to run again.

Members of Red Deer’s city council, in recent decades, have mostly been in for the long haul. Some veteran councillors have invested tremendous time and expertise over several terms — sometimes more than 20 years.

For instance, if Larry Pimm decides to run again and is re-elected in October, this will mark his third decade in office. That is a remarkable record, one that shows voter satisfaction and the accumulation of unmatched and invaluable experience.

Certainly in the recent past, voters dumped veterans Bev Hughes and Dennis Moffat, but that seldom happens.

Longtime councillors generally aren’t defeated: they have too much name recognition and have served too well to face rejection. In Red Deer, incumbents are nearly impossible for a newcomer to defeat at the polls.

Unfortunately, that mindset can discourage worthy candidates from stepping forward. And new candidates are the sort of people who might contribute fresh ideas and spark new debate, particularly during an election campaign, regardless of the ultimate outcome.

And that would do few things:

• Enliven what can be a pretty dull election process and perhaps encourage more young people to be engaged and vote.

• Allow us to have open discussion about how the city operates. Challenging the status quo is a good thing.

• Help the next council determine the agenda for the next three years. There’s no better way to deliver a message than to become a voter.

Certainly the current mayor, Morris Flewwelling, has done a credible job and Red Deer would be well-served if he was re-elected. He is committed, skilled and proven.

But it would be a serious mistake if would-be candidates backed off and allowed him to run unopposed.

Debate and discussion of new and old ideas are at heart of any vibrant democracy. (Councillor Tara Veer, by far the youngest member of council, has said she would consider running for mayor.)

Unfortunately, when an incumbent mayor runs unopposed, voter turnout declines. And that means too few people are engaged in debate about the vital issues.

The future of this city is too important for either the mayor or councillors to win their seats by acclamation. And too important to be directed without input from as many voters as possible, through forums, letters to the editor and ultimately at the polling stations.

Our community would be better served if our civic elections were more competitive.

Why not consider running for council this fall? You may not win (unless someone retires), but there’s always a chance. And your voice will be heard.

Now is the time to prepare for a fall election campaign.

Lee Giles is an Advocate editor.