We’re all busy people with full plates and packed agendas. But we have a big decision to make in a couple of weeks, and here is why you need to care about the upcoming election, and what you can do to inform yourself.
Step 1: Vote
While Danforth East is our section of the world, we live in a city with many, many neighbourhoods woven together. What happens there affects here. (If you take the subway, you are intimately aware of this fact.) We are ONE city and we need to pay attention. Transit, childcare, taxes, services, housing, parking, development, parks – what matters to you?
On October 27, 2014, we will have an opportunity to cast three votes: City Councillor, School Board Trustee , and Mayor. Please do whatever you can to actually go and vote. It’s important. Put it in your calendar
If you already know what boxes you’re going to check on election day then you may as well get it done early.  Advanced polls are open from October 14 (tomorrow!) to Sunday, October 19 between 10:00am-7:00pm.
Need info about where to go to vote? Click here, put in your address in and click on the “Where do I vote” tab at the top.
Step 2: Get involved
There are many ways to get involved, and not all of them involve knocking on doors. Although if you are into that, your fave candidate would likely appreciate a few hours of your time! You can also offer to do some phoning or drop some leaflets.
Is there an issue that matters to you more than anything? If so, send the candidate an email or a tweet, or call them and ask what they think. Look at their websites. Drop by their campaign office and meet their staff, and get a sense of the who they are and what kind of leader/representative they would be.  Take your kids with you and ask their opinion!
Municipal politicians have to raise their own funds for their campaigns so they rely on volunteers and donors to make it all happen. Â We all have an opportunity to really make a difference.
Here are the links to the list of candidates in all four wards that DECA covers:
Step 3: Come to the Ward 31 Debate on Wednesday
DECA is expressly non-partisan. We do not take sides, because we truly can and will work with anyone. We currently have very good relationships with the Councillors who represent most of us in Wards 31 and 32 (we also creep over into Wards 29 and 30) and we’re not shy to say it. At the end of the day, we want to work with the person who we all collectively decide is the best person for the job – which gets back to that need to vote!
In the spirit of facilitating a conversation, we’ve organized a Ward 31 debate scheduled for this Wednesday, October 15 (see poster below). We will not take questions from the floor that night to ensure that the short time we have with the candidates is spent on issues that matter to many rather than individuals. Â If you have a burning question for the candidates, email:Â ward31debate@gmail.com
We’re still looking for a few volunteers to help at the debate. If you are able to lend a hand, please contact debate organizer David by email at ward31debate@gmail.com.Â
(In a perfect world, we would have organized debates for all wards and in all categories, but we simply do not have the capacity for that. It’s a lot of work! One is better than none, right??)
