Nothing ‘simple’ about local government vote
Local government elections are taking place in a few days in the country’s regions, municipalities and communities and voters have a responsibility to elect people who are capable and decent, who will be able to actually do something about addressing the hundreds of problems faced by local communities.
This responsibility is even greater today as the climate crisis has brought an entirely new set of challenges to the fore and elevated the importance of local authorities’ ability to manage natural disasters before and after they happen as a matter of national priority.
Candidates for these roles who rely solely on their popularity and have nothing tangible to offer – this is not to say that everyone with a well-known name is incapable of doing good – and those who are simply after the publicity or serving some other personal agenda, should not even be on our list of potentials.
Local government, across the board, has very important responsibilities, and when it is doing its job properly it can make an enormous contribution at every level, but also in terms of the new environment shaped by the climate crisis.
Local governments that lack vision, that aren’t ready to put in the work, that lack programming and political willpower can only do harm – and this harm has become increasingly dangerous and costly to both citizens and the place where they live. We need go no further than the recent catastrophic floods in Thessaly to see the effects of the failure of local authorities to carry out specific infrastructure projects, to clear streams and waterways and to implement zoning laws and codes. They also showed us that only a handful of local government officials were able to muster the forces needed to bring some relief to the flood-stricken citizens and to start addressing the chaos the floods left in their wake.
After all this, voters need to take a moment to think about who they are casting their ballot for when they find themselves behind the curtain at the polling station in a few days’ time. They should be thinking about the candidates’ abilities, trustworthiness, work ethic and drive to do the best job possible, without political blinkers, without thinking that it’s a “simple” vote.
There are so many candidates, after all, that everyone has a chance to pick those who sincerely promise to work hard and help address our communities’ existing problems and those that may crop up from other extreme situations. In these times and these circumstances, only the worthy are electable.
