Do you aspire to be a local politician? We are in the third year of a four-year term so if you are thinking about it, now is the time to kick it up a notch. Research. If you haven’t already started, live-stream current meetings and watch archived videos of council and committee meetings.
Learn the political landscape – the primary issues that prevail in Clarington and how the existing council responds to it. What motivates a person to run for mayor, regional or local councillor? Is it the fame? The glory? The outstanding pay? Bad reasons to run.
You need a better reason than “People are ready for change!” Newsflash: everyone says that, for every election. Sometimes it’s true and sometimes it’s just perception. If the best you can do is “Hey, I’m new!” You are in for a rude awakening. You need to understand budgets, financial statements, water, sewer, garbage, road construction, residential/commercial/industrial development, the role of governance, Inter-municipal relations, by-laws, social and economic development and more.
