I am appalled at the way community leaders are targeted, villainized and subjected to unreasonable, unattainable expectations. This behaviour is going to deter strong, solid community leaders from ever stepping forward.
I was on Twitter and noticed Bonnie Henry’s name was trending. I don’t want to get into the ins and outs of everything pertaining to this. This isn’t the first time Henry has been the target of online attacks and hateful criticism. I don’t believe that Henry has ever had any ill intentions regarding public health and safety.
No one is perfect, criticism is OK, but let’s keep it professional.
I think everyone’s jaws dropped on election night in this region, when many incumbent mayors and councillors were not re-elected. Other long-term leaders chose not to run, which also resulted in major changes.
On election night, I was on social media reading the most inappropriate, rude and sometimes factually incorrect statements about people running, particularly incumbents who were not re-elected.
First of all, I am a big supporter of democracy. The phrase “the people have spoken” is heard many times on election nights and in both victory and defeat speeches. The voters decide who’s elected, plain and simple. I support this wholeheartedly.
Before we move forward with new mayors and councillors, it’s crucial that we take a moment to reflect on the work that the previous leaders have done. Community leaders live in the community. Their children and grandchildren attend schools with yours. Their family members serve you in the businesses they run or are employed by.
They are people who love living here so much, they opted to serve our communities. That in itself is to be commended.
There is a weird thing nowadays where we forget our leaders are people just like us. There is a part of working in the public eye that does open people up to criticism, but not to the extent that I’ve been seeing online.
I saw a post from former Langford councillor Roger Wade’s wife sharing how upsetting the online comments were. My heart sank. This is not OK.
Many of you reading this will be happy for the council shakeups, and that’s OK. We can be happy and also polite — it’s possible.
I turn to the teaching “remember where you came from.” The municipalities in our region are where they are because of the efforts of previous leaders. Great communities don’t just happen.
These leaders have worked hard, built up our cities, made improvements, and served us for many years, and in some cases, decades. Even if there is a change that you may not personally benefit from, take a moment to think of those who do benefit.
When the bike lines in Victoria were first installed, I found navigating some turns, such as into Harbour Air, a little challenging. I might not personally use the bike lanes, but I have seen a huge increase in cyclists. So even if it’s not something for me, it’s an improvement in the city. Every time I am downtown, I see significant numbers of cyclists using the lanes, and commuting with their children.
In Langford, I remember interviewing Stew Young about 15 years ago as we stood on the levelled ground where the Starlight Stadium stands. He pointed to the dirt and told me his vision for bringing sports to Langford, and national teams. Everything he said he was going to do, he did. I see thousands of people attending sporting events at the venue.
I’ve worked with many mayors in the region in various capacities. They have worked toward understanding, inclusion, and building relationships. Not all relationships are easily transferable and new councils will have their work cut out for them.
I am not writing to complain about voter turnout, or campaign ethics, or even election results. Regardless of who you voted for, my hope is that we can all take a moment to reflect on the commitment and service our community received from these leaders.
I raise my hand to Rob Martin, Stew Young, David Screech, Kyara Kahakauwila, Lisa Helps, John Ranns, Fred Haynes, Stephen Andrew and the others who were not re-elected or did not run again, for your work and community commitment.
I welcome and congratulate Doug Kobayashi, Scott Goodmanson, Marie-Térèse Little, Dean Murdock, Marianne Alto and Sid Tobias, and look forward to seeing the work you do over this next term.
And for all the mayors back in office for another term, you know who you are.
