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Ted Parkinson's avatar

Of course councillors are free to run for any positions they believe in. I know some of the impetus to run is due to the Ford government stripping municipalities of their power to affect development with Bill 23. It is a *lot* of work to knock on doors, engage volunteers etc.

However, I was part of a committee from three Neighbourhood Associations who met several times and organized a "meet the candidates" event for Ward 10. It took a great deal of work and we posted it to YouTube where it had almost 300 views. All candidates were serious contenders and well spoken. We believed we had helped democracy and that whomever was elected could serve the Ward for several years. Many other volunteers organized an event for Ward 9. I guess we will know within 6 months if we need to elect another candidate for either of those Wards. If a separate by-election is called to fill a municipal vacancy some of us will have to ask "is it worth organizing another all-candidates event"? Election exhaustion affects many people who participate in this 'democracy thing'.

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Marinus "Martin" de Groot's avatar

As a liberal-minded, democratic, conservatory progressive, I could support any of the candidates currently in the running for Kitchener Centre. Since two of them constitute 100% of the representation for Kitchener's downtown and its neighbourhoods on City Council, having them both on leave of absence at the same time would leave a serious gap at a critical time: Decisions made over the next 6-12 months could determine the very existence of the City, it's historic centre and it's place as part of Waterloo the County/Region, Ontario and Canada. Of course they're entitled to go on leave of absence or even resign if they saw fit. But given current circumstances, I would encourage them both to stay on the job. Meanwhile, we, meaning anyone and everyone who cares about what's at stake for Ward 9 and 10, can step up with an extra effort to help them do their work, which is essentially making key decisions, while they're campaigning for the role of representing us in Queen's Park. Now is the time for coming forward to serve our city and our neighbourhoods in any we can, especially through imagining, deliberating and speaking up about the best way for us to move forward.

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