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Looks like déjà vu

Editor: “It’s déjà vu all over again,” said the famed ballpark philosopher Yogi Berra, and so it seems in Sechelt as another civic election looms.

Editor:

“It’s déjà vu all over again,” said the famed ballpark philosopher Yogi Berra, and so it seems in Sechelt as another civic election looms.

In the 2008 election, our then incumbent mayor and the councillors who consistently supported him were deposed and in 2011 we had another purge.  Judging by recent survey results and last week’s turnout at the Seaside Centre, it seems that, once again, there is much dissatisfaction with our civic leadership.

Why does this three-year cycle of popular candidates to failed politicians continue?  Obviously it reflects a repeated failure to meet voters’ expectations, but why does it keep happening? Have we been duped by a series of unscrupulous scoundrels? No, of course we haven’t. We probably all, candidates and voters alike, need a clearer understanding of what council’s powers and responsibilities actually are.

We need to seek out and elect people dedicated to and capable of achieving realistic goals — goals like managing our money judiciously while maintaining District services and directing and facilitating development in accordance with residents’ wishes. Most importantly, we need to elect individuals who are genuinely committed to maintaining open and honest two-way communication with the public, even when that’s difficult.

If we’re successful in doing that and can avoid falling under the spell of grandiose schemes and unrealistic campaign rhetoric, perhaps we can break this unfortunate cycle.

Tom Morris, Sechelt