With the byelection in Westlock County’s Division 3 now in full swing, it’s good to see there is the interest to require voters to cast a ballot.
Having three men — Cal Busby, Herb Smerychynski and Jim Wiese — all wanting to represent the area means whoever is elected will do the best he can to ensure his constituents are properly represented.
In some ways, all three are virtually indistinguishable. They all want to do what’s best for the county as a whole, and they all agree that there is one issue that needs to be addressed above all — the state of the county’s road system. When speaking to the Westlock News, all three said they have heard time and time again that the roads are in bad shape and things need to be done.
Obviously, if people are so concerned that they are raising the issue with someone who does not yet represent their voices, something must be wrong.
And it’s clear enough people are concerned that all three candidates have taken on the mantle of road crusader.
But that can’t be all this election is about, can it?
The roads can’t be the singular issue that everyone rallies around?
To be sure, roads are important. They are how people get around. They are necessary to keep an area’s economy going. Without roads, civilization would slowly grind to a halt.
All that is important, but there must be something more important. There must be something that is of greater concern for the most people.
Where is the talk about moving Westlock County forward into the next year and decade?
In this increasingly global world, we can’t be focusing all our attention on our local issues to the exclusion of more regional, provincial, national and global issues.
We need to look to the overall vision of what Westlock County will and can be in the future. We need people to look at the big picture.
We need our elected officials to be charting a course for what is to come, and leave the roadwork to county staff who have the experience to ensure the roads are kept in good shape. By all means address the immediate issues, but don’t take your eyes off the prize — the county we’re leaving for our children.
