Re: Voting for Red Deer councillors in 2013
Well done, to those citizens who advocated a ward system. Thank you, to the members of city council who acknowledged the interest of the public for change.
There are, however, two aspects that concern me: one is the likelihood that our first formal opportunity for ward system voting won’t occur until four years from now; the second is that a strict ward system, like the current strict at-large system, may have serious shortcomings for Red Deer.
A look at the Municipal Government Act indicates that there are many choices. The range seems to include:
• At-large councillors with at-large voting as at present (one group of councillor candidates with all voting residents selecting from all candidates). Each person voting can vote for eight candidates.
• Ward councillors with at-large voting (councillor candidates grouped on an area basis with voting residents selecting the best candidates in each group). Each person voting can vote for eight candidates.
• Ward councillors with ward voting (councillor candidates grouped on an area basis with voting residents restricted to selecting from candidates for the ward where the residents live). Each person voting can vote for four candidates if there are two wards, for three candidates if there are three wards, for two candidates if there are four wards, etc.
• Combinations of ward and at-large councillors with combinations of ward and at-large voting — such as four at-large councillors and four ward councillors, of which two of the ward councillors are from each of two wards with at-large voting for all or at-large voting for the at-large candidates and ward voting for the ward candidates. How many votes each person voting has depends upon the features of each combination.
Here is a suggestion for speeding up and simplifying the process so that the next city council will be a virtual combination of ward and at-large candidates:
• Assume Red Deer has been divided into three wards using the first three characters of postal code addresses. (About 40 per cent of residents live in T4N, about 28 per cent in T4P and about 32 per cent in T4R. To find the Red Deer postal code area map, Google “Canada post total points of call Alberta FSA map index,” select a canadapost result, then select the map for Red Deer.)
• Ask each candidate for council to indicate whether they live in the T4N area or in the T4P area or in the T4R area.
• Ask each candidate for council to indicate their willingness to be a primary contact for residents that live in the T4N area or in the T4P area or in the T4R area.
• Ask each candidate for council to indicate their willingness to be a primary contact for T4N area issues or for T4P area issues or for T4R area issues.
• Based on merit and the above information, vote for two candidates who will be focal points for T4N residents and for T4N issues, vote for two candidates that will be focal points for T4P residents and for T4P issues, vote for two candidates that will be focal points for T4R residents and for T4R issues, and vote for up to two more from the remaining candidates.
Comments, concerns and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
Doug Taylor,
Red Deer