The Vote is In, Now Be Heard

Calgary’s recent 2017 Civic Election is one for the record books. First of all, we had the highest voter turnouts in 40 years at 58.1%. In 1977 49.6% of eligible voters cast a vote and in 1989 48.6% voted Al Duerr as Mayor defeating Ralph Klein. In 2004 Calgary saw the lowest voter turnout at 18% with an uninteresting municipal election. It is great to see that the majority of Calgarians are voicing their opinion during Canada’s Sesquicentennial on the way the city is run. Even though there was not much of a change to council, it was the majority at almost 60% of the general public deciding.

Now that you have made your choice, hopefully based on what your candidates are offering and not on their popularity, it is not the time to idlily sit by and hope they make the right choices in developing Calgary the way the citizens would like. It is still your responsibility as a citizen to make sure those you have elected perform their duties and make good on their election promises.

In order for city council to make informed decisions they need your constant input on how they should things. Councillors, and the Mayor, are there for the citizens and need your opinions to formulate plans and procedures to successfully run our great city.

You need to be vigilant and listen to what is aspiring in city hall. When you discover something Calgary’s city council is working on that is of interest, be sure to dig deeper and uncover all the details and advise council your thoughts on what to do. A Wiki-How article on how to Get Elected Officials to Listen has several methods you can convey your opinion to Calgary’s City Council. Follow some very basic guidelines: Know who to talk to, how to talk to them, place yourself in a position to be recognized, and recruit friends, neighbours, and others with the same concerns. Your opinion counts, and with many others backing you, can actually make that difference you voted for.

You voted for the change you want to see, now follow through and make sure that your vote actually means something. You want construction projects to be completed swiftly, on-time and on-budget, better infrastructure development and upgrading, lower taxes, affordable housing, or the development of a stable local economy, then let those people making the decisions know how to do them according to the wishes of the citizens. Join the M.A.D. Movement and guide city council on their decisions.