Who I'm Voting For

As voting starts this weekend, a lot of people are asking me “who are you voting for?”

I want to highlight that we aren’t just voting for Council. School Board elections are happening too. And they are very important! So I’m also researching Trustee candidates, not just Mayor and Council.

I need to be able to work with EVERYONE who gets elected. So I’m not endorsing individual candidates.

However, I’m happy to explain my overall approach to figuring out my ballot.

As I do my research, I’m using the information I’ve posted at www.gpvotes.ca. This includes links to candidate websites and social media as well as links to Forums in which all candidates were given the opportunity to speak about issues.

When we mark our ballots, we only get to vote for one Mayoral candidate. However, we can VOTE FOR UP TO 8 Council candidates. The best way to support one or several candidates you really like is to vote for them and only them. YOU DON'T NEED TO FILL YOUR BALLOT WITH CANDIDATES YOU ARE LESS EXCITED TO VOTE FOR. Personally, I usually end up voting for 2-4 candidates.

As I choose what candidates will get my vote for Council, what do I consider?

This is what is going through my mind:

-DO THEY HAVE A PLATFORM? Have they explained where they hope to see the City go? Some ideas they will bring to Council? What changes they will champion? If someone hopes to be a leader of our community and of the City of Grande Prairie, they need to be able to express a general direction they hope to lead us in.

-DO I AGREE WITH THE VALUES BEHIND THEIR PLATFORM? Circumstances change. And good Councillors are continually learning new information. When it comes to specifics of what they want to do, I hope anyone elected will have an open mind. So, I don’t get too caught up on the details of a platform. But I care a lot about what those details reveal of the overall vision and values of a candidate.

-IS THEIR PLATFORM WELL ROUNDED? Managing roads. Providing for disadvantaged residents. Nurturing and maintaining our park system. Growing our economy. Advocating to senior levels of government. Overseeing policing. These are just a few of the very many, very different subject areas Council is required to make decisions about. I want to see that a candidate is interested in many different aspects of our community, not just one or two issues.

-ELECTION SIGNS. I don’t vote for candidates based on their signs. But signs have caused me NOT to vote for a candidate. I don’t care if a candidate has a few badly placed signs: mistakes happen, especially when volunteers are involved. However, some candidates consistently break laws regarding sign placement and content. Some candidates consistently block other candidates’ signs. If someone won’t follow a simple Bylaw and show common courtesy, I don’t know if I can have confidence in them following the Council Code of Conduct or working collaboratively with other Councillors.

-ARE THEY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE CITY AND COUNCIL? If someone is a new candidate, I don’t expect them to know everything about the City and Council. But new Councillors have to be able to hit the ground running. To be effective, they have to have already watched some Council meetings, leafed through City Master Plans, educated themselves on current big issues, and know what Council can (and cannot) do within its legal authority.

-DO THEY HAVE STRONG VOLUNTEER HISTORY? I don’t want Councillors who are getting this job for a paycheque. I want Councillors who are getting this job so they can leave other commitments behind to dedicate dozens of hours per week to making Grande Prairie even better. If someone hasn’t shown that kind of dedication to Grande Prairie on their own time, I’m not confident they will have the dedication it takes to be great when they are on the clock as a Councillor.

-DO THEY SPEAK STRONGLY (BUT RESPECTFULLY) ABOUT THEIR OPINIONS? Council should be a place of vigorous, passionate, but respectful debate. If I’m on Council, I want colleagues who challenge me. I want them to be able to change my mind when my mind deserves changing. But, I also want to be able to have a good, trusting, professional relationship with them. Good Councillors are able to strongly argue their position but do it without being a jerk.

-DO THEY LISTEN CLOSELY TO OTHERS? No one person has all the answers. A good Councillor knows this and approaches every discussion with an open mind. I want a Council that is curious about our community, listening for solutions, and willing to change course when needed.

-HAVE THEY MADE A FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE? Candidates need to be accountable to voters, not donors. Big money hasn’t historically played a big role in Grande Prairie elections. And I have no reason to believe it is this election. But I want to keep it that way. The best way to make that happen is to have transparency when it comes to campaign finances. I want to support candidates who are demonstrating this type of transparency.

-ARE THEY CAMPAIGNING HARD? Council is a mostly full-time job. One with a demanding evening and weekend calendar. One that requires a TONNE of thought even when not “at work.” I want Councillors who are fully engaged with what Council is doing. How hard candidates work on the campaign trail is one indication of how passionate they are about Council. It is also a good indicator as to whether or not they have made time in their life to do Council work.

As I weigh all of these factors, I note that we have a number of good candidates. There are many great choices before us. I have full confidence that our next Council will be a good one.

I hope you will have your say about who you see as the best of the best. Please vote!

Advanced polls start tomorrow (Oct . They are also happening on Saturday (Oct 9), and next Friday and Saturday (Oct 15 & 16). They are from 11am - 7pm at City Hall.

Election day itself is Monday, October 18th. It is 10am – 8pm. You can find out where to vote here: https://services.gpgis.com/.../webappviewer/index.html...

When you go to vote, be sure to bring a piece of ID.

If you won’t be in town on any of those voting days or can’t make it to the polling stations for medical reasons, you can request a Special Ballot to vote by mail. You can do that by emailing election@cityofGP.com

Thanks for being involved this election season!

-Dylan