WITH just three current city councillors running again and 12 people running in all for six council seats, there’s going to be a new look when the 2011 version of Terrace’s municipal government is sworn in next month.
And that look, depending upon the electorate, could be a shift from what has been an overall fairly conservative smaller-town BC city council.
As it is, Bruce Bidgood, one of the three councillors running again, has been fairly candid in speaking about what he calls “his constituency,” one that if not made up wholly of card-carrying members of the New Democratic Party is certainly left-leaning in attitude and expectation.
If re-elected, Dr. Bidgood could very well be joined by others of the same inclination. Other successful candidates will come from other parts of the political spectrum bringing their own values.
All in all, the new council could reflect more of the increasingly varying nature of Terrace’s citizens, providing a blend of experiences, opinions and insights.
That cannot be a bad thing because elected officials should be solidly connected to the communities in which they live.
What voters should ultimately expect, no matter who is elected to sit on city council, are people who respect the values of fellow councillors and the greater population and who are moderate in spending and in taxation.