THE EDITOR,
It's municipal election time again and with it comes the hard-won right for men and women to vote - and for men and women to seek office as independents or on some "party" slate.
And with it comes the challenge for voters to decide who to vote for.
This year's municipal election coincides with a number of interesting events: resignations/withdrawals from incumbents not happy with the way things are going, adverts telling potential voters what those running for office believe/stand for and think they can improve; a move into the police building coupled with parking of an impressive fleet of city-owned vehicles and protestations on an impressive scale that is telling our governors that all is not well with many of our control systems.
Although many may believe that the global financial crisis, starvation of thousands, upheavals and deaths in many countries have no bearing on municipal elections, these do impact, however remotely, what happens in Richmond.
As one who is seriously interested in choosing wisely who to vote for, I am inhibited by many things. It is very difficult to really know the candidates, the media tends to bias my perceptions, and I don't know who has financial backing and its sources.
I would like to believe that there is no corruption in civic administration, but it seems endemic elsewhere, so why not here?
My criteria for choosing candidates to vote for are fairly simple: upright character, a well-trained mind, and an attitude of being a servant of all the people, free of prejudices and detached from self-interest.
Making such an assessment is very difficult and I am sure others share the same challenge. Perhaps this difficulty, coupled with the erosion of trust in institutions, is a major cause of the growing apathy of potential voters. Even doing my best to know all candidates leaves me feeling frustrated.
However, I do wish the best to the "winners" - may they serve all with passion and integrity.
Merrill Muttart
Richmond
