This much we know: the municipal election campaign officially kicks off on Sept. 22. What we don鈥檛 know yet is who all the contenders are and what they will bring to the race.
That being said, council wannabes should be ready to hit the ground running, long before they declare their candidacy. Contacting incumbents and previous council members about the ins and outs of the position is a good place to start.
With that information in hand, candidates need to calculate if they have what it takes to do the job. Council hopefuls should also determine if work commitments, family obligations, or other claims on their time, could encroach unduly on their prescribed duties at the council table.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
When posting qualifications and reasons for getting into the game, the temptation to ply voters with stock catchphrases should be avoided.聽 鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about Squamish,鈥� or 鈥淚鈥檓 a team player,鈥� fall into that category.聽 A better approach is to provide details about how their credentials and specific plans will help guide this community through what will no doubt be demanding times ahead.聽
As well, anyone seeking office needs to keep in mind that all public utterances are fair game for critical scrutiny, including on social media, where the discussion can get downright nasty. In other words, a thick skin is essential. And let鈥檚 not forget, this is a meeting-driven gig, fuelled by an abundance of detailed background reading.聽聽聽聽聽
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聽Two years ago, I asked several members of council about some of the hurdles they faced in their deliberations. According to Ted Prior, the workload was the biggest challenge. 鈥淲e have 400 to 500-page agendas every week. We have so much going on, it is hard to focus. We have files that could cost the taxpayer millions and millions. Add that to developments bombarding us," he said.聽聽
During Peter Kent鈥檚 first year in office, one of the most demanding tasks was trying to understand 鈥渢he ripple effect that certain line items have throughout the entire budget and into subsequent years.鈥� He added that another difficult undertaking was the Squamish Oceanfront Development sale because the transaction was fraught with 鈥渓egalities and constant twists and turns, on an almost weekly basis.鈥澛� 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽聽
When queried about the workload at the time, Mayor Patricia Heintzman said besides 鈥渟ignificant commercial and residential development,鈥� council was immersed in a number of policy fronts. That roster included the Official Community Plan, a marine strategy, a recreation master plan, a digital strategy, affordable housing/homelessness, asset management, green building initiatives, and as she put it at the time, 鈥渢he list goes on.鈥澛犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅�
In the last municipal election, three mayoral nominees and twenty council candidates threw their hats into the ring. As we head into the upcoming campaign, given the ongoing development boom and a growing assortment of high profile issues washing over this community, the number of contestants could be even larger.
