Candidate
John Stoddard

Region: District 22 : Timberlea-Prospect

 
"Trying to Run a Green Campaign"

The way we run campaigns is crazy! I mean here we are talking about environmental issues with the voters and at the same time being extremely wasteful. When I get elected I am going to lobby the Provincial government for changes to the Municipal Elections Act. We have to make it easier for people to run and to do so without spending large amounts of money on things like signs and paper which just gets thrown out after. I will push for a common forum which allows candidates to express their views on a level playing field so to speak. It is only fair to both the person running and the person voting for them. Candidates want to get message out and the electorate wants to know who they are voting for.

In the interim I am proud to say that I am doing my part to make my campaign a little greener. I saved my signs from my run for school board and I am re-using them with the help of some reflective tape and some spray paint which I had already. I also encourage people to go to my web site for information instead of handing out more paper flyers which get tossed. I am also using paper I saved to print material I need for the election.

One of the things that I am disappointed about is the shortened campaign. There is a lot of rural area to cover in my area and I was hoping to do so on my bicycle. I am on an unpaid leave of absence form work as required by the Municipal Elections Act and was required to do so before I could even publicly declare that I was running. That left me only six weeks to get to the voters in district 22. The electronic voting being allowed a full 2 weeks before the final vote has left me no option but to burn fossil fuels in my car to try and reach as many voters as I can. Councillors have said that it was not their intention to shorten the time that would allow you to get to know the candidates but it is the result.

Democracy is one of the greatest inventions ever. It should be an exciting time, this being the year we celebrate its 250th birthday and for the first time electronic voting. We need to make the electoral process easier and restore the faith of the people in our system. Once elected I will lobby council to make changes that will not only benefit our environment but also encourage others to want to exercise their political rights. I want to restore the people's trust.