It's a common axiom after elections that voters in a democracy get the government they deserve; ergo if you don't bother to vote you have forfeited the right to complain about politics after the fact.
Frankly, that's a little too simplistic by way of explanation and political scientists in recent years have rightly suggested there can be more to not voting than just plain laziness or voter apathy.
Not voting can be a statement in itself. But surely it is a louder statement if you take the time to show up at the poll and formally decline your ballot by way of protest, which is then recorded, rather than simply staying at home. Very, very few ever engage in the declining the ballot formality.
We would modify the adage that after an election voters get the government or politicians they deserve to say rather that after last week's city council byelection - the first such event in Thompson in more than 18 years - local municipal voters are actually getting more and better than they deserve given a turnout of 7.5 per cent - the most dismal in recent Thompson history - and worse even than the 8.1 per cent turnout for a March 1978 byelection.
So first off our congratulations to Erin Stewart, Luke Robinson, Margaret Allan, Khaled Hassanien and Peter Fancy for letting their names stand in the at-large byelection to fill the seat vacated by Cory Young in September and serve the remaining 10 months of his four-year council term.
We spend a lot of time rightly thanking volunteers in this community - be they minor hockey, soccer or baseball coaches, Spirit Way supporters, service and fraternal club members, band and music directors, and various ladies' auxiliaries members to name but a few - but politicians and those who seek public office are equally important to the fabric of our collective community life.
Anyone who has followed council, even if you think councillors and the mayor are boneheaded at times (and they can be), knows the workload is heavy and the tasks often thankless and not necessarily commensurate with remuneration. Hands up - who out there is just dying to sit on a committee? It may not be volunteer work, but it is truly a form of public service, if not outright masochism at times.
Secondly our congratulations here to Coun. Erin Stewart, who at 25 was the youngest candidate in the five-way race, and who easily bested her two nearest rivals, Robinson and Allan, for the vacant seat.
Stewart, who was raised in Thompson and holds a political science degree, came out on top of the other four candidates decisively with a total of 218 votes. Runner-up Robinson had 157 votes, while third place finisher Allan garnered 150.
Stewart worked as an intern at the Manitoba legislature and currently works for Manitoba Hydro conducting research and negotiations for the provincial Crown corporation. She first came to our attention through a letter to the editor she wrote to us in October after she attended the council-sponsored community neighbourhood consultation meeting (one of seven such weekly meetings this fall in different neighbourhoods on different topics) at Wapanohk Community School, billed as a sort of a folksy back-and-forth with the mayor and council, on housing issues.
"Unfortunately, despite the promising crowd," Stewart wrote, "I feel as though we were short-changed from having a productive community discussion on affordable housing in Thompson.
"The fact that the discussion devolved into a one-issue debate over the relocation of ball diamonds and potential disturbance to animal housing at the Thompson Zoo is not the most pressing issue.
"Rather, it is distressing that the city and council brought forward an affordable housing report on needs and wishful thinking, with no action to show for it. What we need to do and where we need to go is very different from: This is how we're getting there. With no action, or plans for action, brought forward by the city and the noticeable absence of any representative from Manitoba Housing or UCN to contribute, my fellow concerned citizens and I were left to debate the pros and cons of the only shovel hovering over the ground, that of the UCN student housing development.
"In light of this misdirected discussion it seems the real issue was lost. The fact remains that affordable housing is a need in Thompson now."
She went onto conclude, "We should be holding our city accountable, and expect them to do more than wait for UCN and Manitoba Housing to build. Many municipalities across Canada are struggling with the lack of affordable housing. While comparative studies are useful for shining light on the issue, the City of Thompson must do more than talk. The need is here now. All there is left to do is build."
Erin Stewart impressed us with her analysis of the affordable housing problem and the clarity of her thinking, especially her ability to separate out UCN and Thompson Zoo red herrings and other distractions from the crux of the matter.
Now the voters of Thompson have entrusted her with the privilege of working with her council colleagues to help the community find solutions to affordable housing and other problems.
Well done, Erin.
