GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from reader Ross Davidson-Pilon, in response to a recent article regarding the municipal election:
Dear Editor
In response to the article written by Richard Vivian..
It would appear that to date only the vested interests and privileged communities will have access to the local candidates before election day.
It's a sad state of democracy when the people do not have a public uncensored forum to question and measure the cast of characters that seek to represent us.
Noting that such open debates are guaranteed to be peppered with loaded questions from the political hacks that seek to project their personal agendas. Public forums are at least useful in rooting out the well meaning persons who would choose to paint all of the city's utility poles a vibrant colour or mandate compulsory attendance to the clubs of their choice.
Where can I ask simple questions like ...
What do you propose to do...?
How do you propose to fix it ..?
What in your opinion is the projected cost and how do you propose to pay to for it...? Tell me in your own words about your qualifications, accomplishments and experience that will convince me you are the right person to decide the future of my community.
These questions are seldom sufficiently addressed in the diplomatically worded blurbs of the candidates media sites or the thirty words or less carefully scripted answers to written questions submitted by their supporters; Nor is there any forum for followup discourse like do you have a job or will there be a committee formed to choose the appropriate colour for all of those utility poles?
It's no surprise why the participating electorate continues its measured decline and young people are more motivated by what appears on their hand held devices.
Ross Davidson-Pilon,
Guelph
