I see that Grand Forks City Council is once again providing a hearty entertainment for us all with their secretive in-camera and general in-fighting over yet more issues which leave most of us aghast!
However, I see something positive for us all in this latest show, and that is that they provide us with a political education which in fact extends beyond considerations of mere civic politics, and that is how to make our selections as a voter in all future elections.
I have always been a proponent of choosing any given candidate not in terms of his/her promises for the rosy future anticipated in the event of a win, but rather of his/her record to date—what has been the contribution in past holdings of office?
In the present instance, I suggest it is important for all future voters to look carefully at current contributions of each and every council member as the business is conducted day by day. I would hope that the silliness exhibited by many of the present council will not go unremembered in the next civic election, just as I would earnestly hope the same for the so-called “senior” governments of the province and the nation.
Wanna-bes will promise you the moon during the election madness, but AFTER the elections is the time to be making our decisions for the NEXT elections—once they’ve grabbed the ring, there’s not much you can do as they hide behind complex obfuscations, pursue their previously secret agendas, and otherwise involve themselves in programs of personal aggrandizement which have been so carefully hidden during the campaigns.
And so, I offer this heartfelt plea to one and all: PLEASE take the time to watch carefully the antics of our present politicians—in all levels of government, and use your observations to make a careful choice of how you intend to vote in the next election.
It is a source of constant amazement to me how some people end up in office time and time again—and it’s not their fault; it’s ours. In most cases, they’ve given us plenty of warning!
– Pete Snidal, Grand Forks