The next general election is going to mark a bold, new experiment in Alberta politics with the transition to four-year terms for all municipal councilors and school division trustees.
One of the biggest questions with this change-over is how much it will impact the decisions of both current councilors and prospective candidates to run in this Oct. 21 general election.
Running for council in a small town is basically a step up from simply volunteering your time at any of the many non-profit organizations that operate in a community.
Sure, there’s some financial reimbursement, but it’s disproportionate to the time investment and no one’s making a career out of it. This is less the case for larger centres, where running for council is roughly equivalent to changing jobs.
It’s no secret that sometimes our local politicians can no longer make the commitment of staying on council, due to health concerns or work or other factors.
Westlock County councilor Mike Cook recently stated he was stepping down from council in part because of the new four-year terms. It wasn’t the only reason or even the biggest reason for not running again, but he nonetheless mentioned it.
Cook said he was in favour of four-year terms to allow “adequate” time to learn the responsibilities of being a councillor, but ultimately declined the prospect of continuing a career in politics.
One has to wonder if the new four-year terms will make a lot of people in this next general election decide that they can no longer make the time investment.
Town of Barrhead mayor Brian Schulz, who recently announced his retirement from municipal politics, was not shy about expressing his opinions on the new terms — essentially articulating the change would be a “huge mistake.”
We have to wonder if, as Schulz indicated, this decision was geared more towards satisfying municipal officials in urban centres.
In fact, tacking another year onto the political appointment of councilors who are slow learners could be detrimental in getting those people out of office.
This political experiment could be chalked up to nothing more than a social experiment that keeps unfit politicians on the job.
