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14 nicle | Thursday, April 27, 2023 2 8 i waterloochronicle.ca uw oS Zz = Ss = COUNCILLOR'S DECISION ‘PRESENTS A REAL DILEMMA FOR LOCAL VOTERS’ WE SHOULDN'T $ STAND IN THE WAY OF SOMEONE'S * AMBITION, BUT WE ALSO SHOULDN'T BE SO DISMISSIVE OF THE OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION, WRITES MIKE FARWELL A Kitchener city coun- cilor, just elected to her w role six months ago, has! now decided she'd rath- er pursue a role in provin- cial politics. And Coun. Aislinn Clancy likely won't be the only person tly elected locally who will = MIKE FARWELL Column nm be announced as a candidate for a provincial byelection in Kitchener- This presents a real di- Jemma fo for local voters. e one hand, thes: foe het elected iocally last fall are still interested in serving their communi- ties, just in a different ca- pacity. And since we know that local politics — from school board to city council — is often used as a step- ping-stone to higher office, its hard to argue that someone should be denied the chance to further their political career. Still, it's a situation that makes many uneasy, and with good reason. Under our existing rules, the current city councillor or school board trustee can continue to serve in their current role —and be paid for it— while elected to the new role, you can simply resume your original duties as if noth- ing happened. In fairness, this is not al- together different than someone in the private sec- tor applying for a new job even while still working for a current employer. But if we did find ourselves ap- plying for new jobs while still working at another, how much attention were we paying to the current job? How much did we care about it, and how seriously did we take it These ‘sould be fair questions to ask of any city councillor or school board trustee as they campaign uch time ment are still being mae to the current role, and how effectively is the pub- lic that elected you being served! The situation gets even messier should you be suc- cessful in being elected to your new role. In that case, your old position is aban- doned, and the council or a Waterloo Region Record photo AISLINN CLANCY board is most likely to ap- point someone new (often the runner-up from the previous election). Thisis a decidedly undemocratic process, yet it's one that our system allows. This is also a uniquely municipal i issue. a eae pa of pr cial or fede wishes to seek a waifferent political office, they must first resign the seat they currently hold. There's no such requirement at the municipal] lev A rovin: should be required to take an unpaid leave from thei current role to cam} paign for the next. If they're un- successful in that cam- paign, should the role they left simply be held for them? Perhaps a byelection is also in order. Maybe voters, armed with new information about the candidate's de- sire for the job at the local level, will reconsider their original vote. We shouldn't stand in the way of someone's ambi- tion, political or otherwise. We also shouldn't be so dismissive of the outcome of an election. Voters thought they were electing someone toa four-year term, not just un- til the next shiny political bauble came along. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter at @fa well_WR, or connect with him via Mike. Far- well@rci.rogers.com. SAVE 59% ON HOME DELIVERY Friday & Saturday Home Delivery 6-Day access to the Waterloo Region Record ePaper! WATERLOO REGION RECORD *Plus HST. Save 59% off th \d rate for Friday and Saturday fact custor $ T 9 9g WEEK! Subscribe at: wroffer.ca/deal/CNWRI199 or call 1-800-210-5210 and mention offer code: CNWR199 our subscriber agreement at therecord.com/agreement and our privacy policy at thesor com/privacy. Offer expires April 30, 2023 is not available to current Waterloo Region Record subscribers. This offer includes complimentary access to the Waterloo Region Record ePaper edition and therecord.com. The New Tk Times Internationa Weekly and Book Review section and TV Week are not included. 12-month introductory period at the regular home-delivery rate then in effect. Cont Home delivery will continue after the mer service at 1-800-210-5210 to get the regular rate for your area. Payment must be made by credit card only. View