We would like to take this opportunity to thank each of the candidates for taking up the call to public service by registering in the upcoming municipal elections. Dedication to the greater good is a commendable enterprise. So, whether their campaigns are successful or not, we thank you on behalf of the citizens of Sarnia-Lambton. As residents of Sarnia-Lambton who are keenly interested in politics, we are interested to know what each of you feel that you have to contribute to our city/county/region. There is a theory that municipal politics tends to be a popularity contest, and based more on name recognition than voters having any real sense of a candidates credentials. We have openly expressed this theory in social media (t.co/jdbuZoPNWU) and am inviting response to this and other questions there. As the recent candidates list included email addresses, we thought we might also issue my challenge in this manner. Finally, we have also been intrigued by a recent article in Sarnia This Week entitled “Age and Experience Valuable Assets in our Politicians” that seems to imply that we choose our politicians based on the need for new blood rather than a proven track record in a complicated profession. Therefore in an effort to encourage voter education and participation at the polls, and for my own personal interest, we would like to challenge each of you to reply to the following questions: 1. What do you think is the most pressing issue facing Sarnia-Lambton in the next five years? 2. What are the key initiatives that you might propose to help us solve this issue? 3. What in your own personal experience has prepared you the most to be part of this solution? Your reply should include consent for us to use your responses in our social media interactions regarding the upcoming election. We will guarantee that your response will be used appropriately and in the context of providing our audience with some insight into their candidates only. If they are used, your answers will be quoted directly and will not be used concert with, or to promote, our own opinions. Our only interest is to help others make an informed decision for the upcoming election. Think of us as the moderators for an online/social media debate with these three questions as the only speaking points.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 00:03:07 +0000