Nominations for councils and school boards opened on Sept. 1, and RMs, villages, towns and cities are awaiting the nomination papers of people who are willing to take part in democracy at the local level and run in the civic elections this fall.
The nomination period ends on Wednesday, Sept. 21, and if there are sufficient nominations to avoid acclaiming council or school board members, there will be an election on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
Anyone who has concerns, or as veteran city councillor Dick Michel in Weyburn stated, a passion for their community or for the state of education, should consider putting their name forward and standing for election.
This is democracy at its most immediate and effective level, with perhaps the biggest impact on where we live, work and raise our families. Councils that oversee villages, towns and cities set the level of property taxes, which in turn provide the services to the residents, for everything from water and sewer, garbage pickup, fire and police protection, to recreation facilities and programming and everything in between.
If, as a resident, you aren’t satisfied with the services provided by your community, or the level of taxes, or the decisions made by your council or school board, then this is your chance to have your input and have your voice heard, and to make decisions that will affect the residents and schools of the community.
For some communities, they are desperately seeking more local involvement to remain a viable community, such as the village of Creelman. A meeting was convened a while ago to spell it out for residents, namely that residents are needed to step forward to serve on council — or else the village will have to take the step to dissolve, and to be under the administration of the RM of Fillmore.
For Creelman as well as for larger centres like the City of Weyburn, or the Southeast Cornerstone or Holy Family school division, it’s imperative that local residents take an interest and step up to have their say as part of the democratic process.
This is how local issues are discussed and voted on, when there are people who care about what happens to the programs and services provided by their community or school board.
And, on Oct. 26, no matter if you’re a candidate or a resident, take the time to cast your vote. — Greg Nikkel
