We’re about a month away from Ontario’s municipal election. The most important issues for Port Stanley as a whole seem to be:
Water rates.
Parking fees.
New builds/maintaining the village feel.
There are others, of course, depending on where in the village you live. A lack of affordable rental properties. Traffic/speeding issues. (Please add your concerns in the comments.)
There’s a perception that the taxes collected elsewhere in Central Elgin township are sucked up by the tourism vortex here in Port Stanley. Many residents of other towns and villages in CE resent this. If it is indeed the case, the blame lays with CE council, not the fine residents of this town! The chance to change it comes during the election.
I’m fascinated by the way discussions on Facebook go completely off the rails. They start out with contributors discussing important election issues. It’s only a matter of time until someone goes: SQUIRREL! Their comment usually starts with, “But what about…” and then they take it off into an unrelated direction. This is why I will never serve on a committee again. (I know, never say never!) But I digress.
TIME FOR A CHANGE
The Mayoral, council and school trustee candidates are all new to us imports. We have some research to do. The local sentiment seems to be that it’s time for a change, some say a whole new government, for Central Elgin.
Even before we moved here a little more than a year ago, we thought of Port Stanley as a jewel of the township. No offense to Mapleton or Belmont, but no one is spending the day relaxing on their beaches! They’re not spending tourist dollars, including taxes at businesses that are also taxed. No offense to the other CE communities, but what comes in to P.S. goes back into the coffers. And it’s more than most of the other communities will ever take in.
Then again, I’m not paying outrageously high home property taxes with little local benefit. So, I also get the resentment.
Election day is October 24th. Municipal voter turnout is historically low, which I’ve never understood. Local government has the biggest daily influence on our lives. Local wards are defined in colourful maps HERE. You can find advance polling dates and other info HERE. Good luck to all the candidates. And thanks for putting yourselves out there.
I agree. Talk to the candidates. I had one say, we’ll lower the water rates, another say, I can’t promise that. One tell me that the green bin program-my personal pet peeve, promised 3 years ago-was *maybe* going to happen in the next couple of years. When taxes are 5K a year and we’re drowning in escalating water hikes, it’s hard-especially when you compare CE rates to St. Thomas or London. I’m grateful that we have choices because people are willing to work hard for our communities. Constituents need to do their research. And VOTE!
Voting for me which I always do has been a choice between the lesser of the various evils or going with the devil you know verses one you don’t. And yes this is a very sad state of affairs. I applaud those who choose to run for office while at the same time question their agenda. Vote for the Post People.
It is laughably easy to vote in this country at any level. Yet so many people self-select out of the system, which is actually what some candidates and parties secretly hope you do. Vote just to piss them off!
As smarter people than me have pointed, the mayor of Amity from the original Jaws is still the mayor in Jaws 2. Voting in municipal elections is very important!