October 2010 - The Bulletin Magazine

HOW WILL THEY VOTE?
east gwillimbury candidates were asked their
thoughts on a ward system in our town
The 2010 Municipal Election is only a couple of weeks away. There are 12 campaigning for a seat on our Town
Council, 3 mayoral and 9 councillors. East Gwillimbury is faced with significant growth in parts of our town,
and the question of our satisfaction of the current electoral system will be on the voters’ ballot. Here’s what your
candidates had to say.
WE ASKED (same question as will be on the Election ballot):
Are you in favour of the existing electoral system of electing four (4) Councillors at large in
East Gwillimbury? YES or NO
If answered no, do your prefer the alternative (ward system) and why?
The Bulletin Magazine does not endorse any candidate, we are here to inform and educate, but not dictate.
MAYORAL CANDIDATES ANSWERED:
VIRGINIA HACKSON: seeking position of Mayor of East Gwillimbury
For me this ballot question is so much more than how we elect our councillors. At its’
core, this question is really about democracy.
For our referendum question to be binding – we must have over 50% voter turnout at the
polls. Sadly I suspect this won’t happen. Our last municipal election had a voter turnout
of 31%. Unless we have a dramatic swing in democratic participation, the question of
whether we keep our at-large system of electing council will stay the same.
Regardless of the referendum outcome I believe it is time to not only look at how we
elect our council but to review the entire democratic process in our town. Since our
town’s inception in 1971, East Gwillimbury has never undertaken an electoral review. Even at the federal and
provincial level of government there have been dramatically more changes and reforms to the election of our MPs
and MPPs. Surely if our federal and provincial counterparts can update their electoral process – than so should
we!
As Mayor I will create a citizen’s committee charged with the task of Democratic Renewal in East Gwillimbury.
The Committee for Democratic Renewal will be charged with a mandate to:
• Review our system of electing council members
• Seek new ways to increase municipal voter turnout,
• Review any barriers that may exist, preventing citizens from running for office,
The committee will be comprised entirely of East Gwillimbury residents – no elected officials will have
membership. The committee will seek input from elected officials, past candidates, scholars, and concerned
individuals. Town staff will assist in preparing a report that will be presented to council for review and approval.
The objective is to implement improvement to our democratic process prior to the next municipal election.
I am delighted to see a record number of candidates running in this election. It confirms my belief that change
14 The Bulletin | October 2010 www.thebulletinmagazine.com