Lowering the Municipal Voting Age

There was a proposal made by a youth advisory group to the Edmonton City Council suggesting that they ask the province to consider lowering the voting age in municipal elections to 16, from the present 18.  Edmonton city council narrowly approved their suggestion and will forward it to the provincial government.

I personally don't think it's a good idea.  I've worked with young people as a teacher for thirty one years, and I never met a bad kid.  But I think piling the responsibility of voting onto all the other new and confusing sensations and responsibilities facing them would be overwhelming. 

It's no secret that adolescence is difficult.  There are so many things happening to kids during that time, physically, emotionally, sexually, and socially!  Adding a political change to that as well, I think would be disastrous.

I also believe that 16 year old kids do not have the knowledge and experience to vote well.  They may not be able to recognize and be easily swayed by irrational or illogical political spiels.   Not that 18-year-olds (or older) don't get sucked in sometimes, too - Just look at the American election campaign on now!

By-Election Day, Tomorrow!

Tomorrow (April 18) is By-Election Day in Beiseker!  This is a by-election which will elect a new councilor to fill a vacancy left by Dave McKenzie, when he resigned to become our new Public Works Foreman. 

I have listened to and read about each of the four candidates running for election.  I can tell you sincerely that, in my opinion, any one of the four would make an excellent councilor!  We are most fortunate to have four strong, civic minded folks willing to run for basically a volunteer position within our village.

Our next Council Meeting will be our Spring Town Hall Meeting held at the Community Centre.  There will be a bit of history in the making as our newly elected councilor will be sworn in at the beginning of that meeting!  I hope to see you all there.

The polling station  will be at the Village Office and it will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. tomorrow.  Let's have a big turnout to select our new councilor! 

Election Day Tomorrow!

Tomorrow (May 5th) is the big day!  We've heard all the candidates and all the party leaders speak about their vision of what Alberta should look like over the next four years.

Now it's our turn! 

Over the past few weeks, I've had the privilege of meeting with the candidates or their designates for our constituency, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills.  In my opinion, we are especially fortunate to have a very strong and dedicated field of candidates running for election here - from every party!  As voters, it is our job to pick the one who best represents the Alberta we would like to see, and vote for them.

Two weeks ago, I asked some questions of the candidates here on my blog.  I received a number of answers, from most of the candidates.  I will republish a list of who responded to my five questions and what they said.  I urge you to read them over again.

The polls open tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m, at the Beiseker Community Centre.  They will be open until 8:00 p.m.  

Check that card you received in the mail a while back from Elections Alberta, and it will tell you where you are to vote.  If you've lost that card, take all the ID you can find with you (picture ID is the best) and know your physical address (street address or land description).  The folks at the polling station should be able to help you.

Remember, you are choosing Alberta's provincial legislative make-up for the next four years!  And if you don't get out and vote tomorrow, you have no right to complain about our provincial government come Wednesday!

Vote for what you want - but please vote!

Questions for the Candidates: Airdrie Hospital

Each day this week, I will suggest a question for he candidates in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills in the upcoming provincial election, slated for May 5th.

They are in no particular order; one is not more important that another.  But the answers are important to all of us here in this area!

Question #1;  If your party forms Alberta's next government, how does party plan to address the Airdrie Hospital debacle?

When the answer comes back, I'll be looking for specifics.  A city of 50,000+ - and growing by the day - must have a fully operational hospital!  I'm expecting to hear how they plan to revise/update the province's hospital building program to include Airdrie?  I'm also expecting to hear about a proposal for a three level plan involving the Feds, the province and the city to get things rolling.

I know times are tough financially, but the health situation in Airdrie is getting tougher by the day, too!

Beiseker's Election!

It's not official yet, but it looks like Beiseker will be having a municipal election this fall!

Today was Nomination Day and by my count more than five candidates submitted their nomination papers.  The list will not be official for twenty four hours.  During that time any candidate may remove his or her nomination.  I submitted my papers, which means I am one of the candidates for this election!

Sadly missing from the roster is Fred Walters, who decided some time ago not to seek re-election.  Fred's work on village council, especially in regards to recycling, the railway museum, and solid waste management was greatly appreciated.  Fred's boots will be hard to fill when the new council has its reorganizational meeting, at the end of October!

The election issues have yet to be disclosed by all the candidates, but mine are quite straight forward;

1. Keeping Beiseker's industries and businesses vibrant and growing.
2. The water problems;  getting storm water out of town and clean drinking water into town, both as economically and efficiently as possible.
3. Keeping Beiseker's health, education, safety and social services attractive, effective -- and growing.
4. Street and sidewalk upgrading: need I say more?
5. Encouraging Beiseker's population to continue a slow but steady and well managed growth.

There are my FIVE.  I'll address each one on my blog in days to come.  I'm sure that some of my fellow candidates will have others, and I eagerly await their presentations.

The Upcoming Municipal Election

On Nomination Day - Monday, September 23, 2013 - between 10:00 a.m. and Noon, I will be filing my nomination papers to our Village Returning Officer to become a candidate in the upcoming Municipal Election.  My campaign will officially start on that same day.

I am looking forward to this election!  I believe I have much more to offer Beiseker, and I relish facing the challenges of the next four years on Village Council.

Thank You All

Thank you all for supporting me during this election. Know that I will do my best to represent you fairly, firmly and equally! You know what my priorities are; they're listed under this posting. I'll keep you all informed on my progress on these issues as we go through the next three years. You are most welcome to comment in this blog or email me if you have an issue more personal. I do answer my phone if you call, too!

Thank you again and visit my blog often.

Cheers