“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time . . .” – Winston Churchill
In a little over a month’s time, members of this community will be selecting their new slate of local leaders for municipal council and warden of MRC Pontiac. While some might look forward to these traditions like they look forward to watching paint dry, it’s worth considering how lucky we are that they exist.
You don’t have to look far to find examples of how things go when people reject compromise and try to settle their differences with, say, a rifle or an artillery barrage. As the portly thug quoted above said, there are many routes that we could go down that are far more unpleasant than lining up at a polling station or listening to a sleep-inducing speech.
Within our domestic politics, the municipal level is routinely overlooked by the average citizen as being boring, compared to the relative flash of international diplomacy or building a new hospital. Around here, municipal politicians mostly just decide how much gravel gets spread on the roads, right? Well true, but as we found out this past term, they also decide whether we try building a giant garbage barbeque in our back yard. The county meeting’s not always a snoozer, folks.
The beauty of the lowest tier of politics is its unscripted nature. No one here is media-trained like they are in the provincial and federal races, where every public-facing moment by a candidate is calculated. It’s tiresome trying to pry any original thought from most of the politicians at those levels – automatons running public relations scripts, grinning at you with no light in their eyes.
The people running for local council are your neighbours, your friends, or at least people who remember what it feels like to be human. Which can make for quotes that are muy caliente, but also for more honest conversations. Instead of trying to generate made-for-social-media video clips, municipal candidates are discussing issues that have a direct impact on their immediate surroundings. Sometimes, they’ve got to engage with an angry constituent in line at the grocery store or over the back fence. It can be messy, but also quite wholesome.
Over the coming years our communities will be discussing the future of the Shawville Arena, local fire services and a host of topics yet unknown to us. These meetings will get heated at times because people have a lot invested in these institutions, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be respectful and constructive.
The Pontiac region has plenty of obstacles to overcome, sure, but we’re not starved for talent either. With a little vision, hard work, and some luck, these next four years could see a group of leaders guide the Pontiac to more prosperous times.
It could also quite easily see a group that takes no risks, sticks to the status quo and oversees the steady decline of a once-prosperous place. In this world of sin and woe, the little guys don’t usually prevail over Goliath. They get steam-rolled.
No political party or angel investor is coming to save us from the socio-economic downturn this place experienced when the mills closed. The only way for a small, poor region like ours to overcome these challenges is with selfless, pragmatic, collective action.
It’s not easy leading a community. Even the small ones require time, expertise, and an ability to compromise. It also takes bravery to put your name forward in a neighbourhood as small and tight-knit as ours.
Let’s hope those who take office in November are Pontiacers we can be proud to follow.
Caleb Nickerson
