A couple of outgoing councillors in Chatham-Kent are weighing in on Monday's municipal election, saying it's nice to see so many interested in municipal politics and running for council.
Doug Sulman and Joe Faas, who both served as longtime councillors but are not running in the current election, told CK News Today that the size and quality of the field in the 2022 civic election are impressive compared to some other areas that are scraping to field enough candidates. In the 2022 municipal election, Chatham-Kent had 43 council candidates vying for 18 seats at the council table.
"I'm quite impressed with the quality of all the candidates in the wards this time. It's really good to see so many young people putting their names forward. Democracy is somewhat alive in Chatham-Kent," said Sulman.
That's something Faas agrees with.
"I think it's good to see because when you do that it stimulates some interest and you have to do that to get the voters out. At one point when I indicated I wasn't running, it was quiet and then everybody started to come out," Faas said.
They also have strong feelings about the size of council in Chatham-Kent, a community of roughly 110,000 people.
Sulman, who has been pushing for a smaller council for years, said it's time to pare it down.
"Surely, we have got to the point where we can have fewer councillors. It would make decision-making a lot quicker and easier and what I really think it would do would be you'd have to cover more area and therefore, we stop being so parochial. We'd finally come together maybe as Chatham-Kent," Sulman noted.
Faas has two trains of thought. While he feels 18 councillors will better represent constituents, he said sometimes 18 opinions are too much to handle.
"To get out and serve the constituents, you need two people to do it. There's a lot to do with just one person. But as far as the decision-making, around the table sometimes you get 18 opinions and it can be a little overwhelming," added Faas.
By comparison, Toronto has 25 councillors for four million people, while Windsor has 11 for a population of roughly 220,000.
As far as advice for the new councillors and the next council, Sulman said never forget who elected you and stay true to yourself.
"When you think about spending always think about the widow on Willowmac and how it's affecting her and the pensioner on Patteson. Be true to yourself, be honest, and put the constituents first, always," Sulman concluded.
Faas said councillors must make sure they're running for the right reason and that's his advice.
"Every issue has two sides. So, you have to make sure that you're there making the right decision for the right reason and not be influenced by a group of people that can put pressure on you to try and make you think the way they think," Faas said.
Sulman noted the first tough task for councillors right out of the gate is the budget, which he believes will be challenging because of inflation and wages.
He also thinks council and mayor are well compensated and hopes they never become full-time councillors because he feels they would lose touch with their base.
Faas believes this election will be tough to call because of the high number of candidates and a lack of name recognition by the voters.
Sulman said he'll be analyzing the election on Your TV Chatham-Kent on Monday night, while Faas will be relaxing and listening to the coverage on the radio.
CK News Today will have updates on the air, on social media, and on our website at CKNewstoday.ca.
