THOUGHTS ON VOTING

MY VIEWS ON VOTING

I hope you will agree that now is the time to start thinking about who you will be voting for! (wait until after August 21st to see all of the candidates; however, start now)

Every Citizen of Sarnia who is eligible to vote should vote; however, putting check marks or X’s on a ballot is not the aim. Citizens should be informed before voting day.

Who aligns with your thinking?

Who will do a good job for Sarnia as a whole?

Do the people you are considering voting for have a background that suggests they will do a good job as the Mayor or a Councilor?

Can they think critically and make decisions?

Every candidate has a means to communicate with them. I personally have a telephone number and an email listed. I would welcome both questions and input via text, email or call. I am pretty sure others would welcome that same contact. Satisfy yourself that who you're going to vote for has the values you want in City Hall..

Incumbents have a definite advantage in every election. You have seen them operate and make decisions, plus their names are recognizable. I personally have always voted in every election for change.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

I feel there is no problem voting for an incumbent "IF" they have shown extraordinary performance or results during their term(s), BUT make sure you have a reason for putting them back in. Regarding the current council members, I have seen times when some of them have not done their jobs by stating openly that they do not have information, when I have read the materials they were given and everything they said they did not know was already given to them! It is only natural that with the amount of reading and preparation required of Councilors, after a period of time, they become complacent and do not fully engage. I wish the Ontario Government would limit the number of terms a person can run. I have found, in my business life, that stagnation happens as early as five (5) years and most certainly after 10 years (2 to 3 election cycles)

At least when you vote for a new person, you get new ideas and fresh viewpoints. I believe that is how a city moves forward.

When you vote - ONLY vote for those you want to be successful. Just because there are 4 City and 4 City/County positions does not mean that you must vote for 8. Do NOT fill in the eight with incumbents or your third and fourth choice, because you will only hurt the one you want to get elected.

Do your homework starting NOW so that you can vote intelligently in October.

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