Rocky View County council chambers was crowded, Oct. 5. It was the last regular meeting before Election Day, Oct. 18, so it was no surprise to see council candidates crowding the room.
Although we appreciate their attendance, it is impossible for them to learn all the relevant information needed to serve on council in a mere three hours. A good number of candidates left before noon on a day where the meeting went until 8 p.m.
Council meetings regularly go past 5 p.m., and include an array of public hearings, policy questions and legal issues. We are concerned that many candidates, despite declaring their commitment to the residents, didn’t bother to show up to any previous council meetings.
This leads us to question their commitment.
Granted, several candidates are former council members who are well versed in the policies and how the County is run. However, we aren’t sure those ex-councillors are up to date on the issues of today. We can only hope they have stayed in touch with recent happenings such as the County’s position on the Calgary Regional Partnership, funding for soft levies and changing government policies in regards to municipalities.
Although there are more than 20 candidates seeking election in the County, only three have regularly sat through a number of council meetings on a regular basis in recent weeks.
While we are not endorsing candidates Rolly Ashdown from Division 4, Enrique Massot from Division 9 or Kim Magnuson from Division 2, at least we know they are abreast of the issues.
It takes real commitment to sit through council on a regular basis, and we commend those candidates who have shown their dedication to the county by doing so.
