Nominations for municipal elections are now open, and those considering running have until April 9 to hand in their paperwork at their local returning office.
Elections NB has mounted a digital campaign to encourage people to put their hat in the ring for local politics. In Sackville, people curious about running for office will have an opportunity to learn a bit more about it before making the big decision.
A group of local citizens have put together an open house Tuesday March 23 at 6:30pm, for the political-curious to ask questions of current town councillors and staff. The event will be virtual, offered via the same platform used by town council, Microsoft Teams. Click here to join the meeting.
One of the people involved in making the open house happen is local organizer and engaged citizen, Sabine Dietz.
Here she is talking about the event on CHMA’s Tantramar Report:
Tuesday’s open house started with a conversation back in the fall of 2019, says Dietz. “Some of us got together to just talk about municipal governance, and how to support people who wanted to run in the municipal election that was planned for May 2020,” she says.
An open house was planned, but cancelled once the provincial government announced its decision to postpone May 2020 elections.
Now that the elections are back on, so is the open house. Dietz says it’s something that’s even more needed under current circumstances.
“There’s so few opportunities right now to ask questions in person, or have these chats,” says Dietz. She’s hoping that an open house can provide an opportunity for, “people who are sort of thinking or sitting on the on the edge,” to find out more about civic life and what’s involved.
Dietz expects Deputy Mayor Ron Aiken, town CAO Jamie Burke, and a number of other councillors to be available at the open house. “Many of them expressed an interest in being there,” she says.
People will be able to ask questions about anything from the workload of local representatives to the limitations of local councils. “Really, what I hope they will do is encourage people to run,” says Dietz.
“I personally think civic engagement is really important. If I live in a community, and I like a community, I also need to be willing to contribute to the community,” says Dietz. “And there’s so many people in Sackville who contribute one way or the other. We are, in some ways, a really crazy community in that way.”
There are challenges in convincing people to take the step of running for office. Dietz says the biggest ones are people’s negative perception of politics, the public exposure that comes with the job, and also the time commitment.
People often see a nastiness in politics, says Dietz. “I think there is a there’s definitely truth to that. We’ve seen that. And, honestly, women experience that more than others,” she says.
And if elected, people will face public disagreements. “If you enter that realm of municipal governance, you need to be willing to expose yourself to the community,” says Dietz. The public will want to talk to you and even argue with you, says Dietz, and you have to be prepared, “to respond, be transparent, be accountable. Because after all, you are managing certain parts of the town, right?”
Dietz herself has plenty of political experience, having managed or co-managed campaigns for Megan Mitton and Laura Reinsborough, and also having put her own hat in the ring twice locally in Sackville. Working on Mitton’s recent provincial re-election campaign meant Dietz gained valuable experience in how to campaign during a pandemic. While door-to-door canvassing is normally the gold standard in campaigning, it’s likely not in the cards this year. While Elections NB guidelines don’t prohibit door-to-door campaigning, Dietz says she believes it’s not a good idea. “People are still very nervous,” she says. “We are not vaccinated yet. So, you know, the level of caution still there.”
Dietz says that she and her fellow organizers are considering hosting a session teaching people about campaigning, especially during a pandemic, if there’s interest.
So far, two people have declared themselves as candidates for Mayor in Sackville, Ron Aiken and current councillor Shawn Mesheau.
For a breakdown of the various positions up for election on May 10, 2021, read here:
