Fair Representation?
September 1st, 2010I don’t think that it is any secret that I have put myself on the block and have committed to running for Town Council for the 2010-2014 term in Rivers Manitoba. Do I have any political experience? Not in the least. Am I a smooth-talking politician with the popular vote? Not even close, actually if we were to take a poll I am probably one of the least liked people in my community – I have no misconceptions about how my personality and shoot-from-the-hip attitude often rubs people the wrong way, I am completely aware of it but I am also aware that it is a part of me that makes me, me and I am not willing to change just to appease the masses. People may not like me much, but my actions in the past can assure them of one thing – they can trust me to always do what I say and stand behind my words, actions and opinion, whether they are popular or not. The stand I take on an issue will never be dependant on the company I keep and will never bow, bend or break due to pressure, coercion or outright bullying – if I haven’t proved that in the past 6 months alone, then I probably never could.
This blog isn’t meant to be a campaign speech because unfortunately I realize that much like high school, municipal politics in a small town are very similar to a high school popularity contest. Who do you like more? Who will tell you what you want to hear and who are the popular kids that you want to like you? Too often people will go to the polls and check the name that is most familiar to them, without even considering who will do the best job of representing their and their family’s interests over the next four years. The one thing I am hoping to do with this election, whether I win or not is to change the way people engage their community and demand fair representation at the municipal level because let’s face it – that is where it really counts. Provincial and federal elections can generate a great deal of excitement, but it is the day-to-day matters in our own communities that effect the quality of our every day lives and that is where we really need to get involved and understand what is going on.
Did you know that there is no provincial or municipal by-law preventing family members and even spouses from runnig for and sitting together on council? Most people in Rivers will know that since in the past 4 years we have had just that – a councillor married to our Mayor. Is that fair? Some may say yes, some may say no and some will say that it depends on the couple and their integrity. I say – it shouldn’t matter. In a town the size of Rivers with roughly 1200 people, we are represented by 6 councillors and a Mayor – these individuals are supposed top represent the interests of all the people in the community – from all walks of life, all demographics and all backgrounds. as individuals. While most will say that being married or being siblings or being parent-child has no influence on a person’s ability to act as an individual, I don’t believe that is true. At the best of times, it allows the people involved in this conflict to argue their own case with each other in private, at the worst it influences a vote based on personal agendas or pressures.
What if we had two couples on council or three? If 4 out of 7 or even 6 out of 7 representatives on our council were intertwined with each other – how fair would that be? Would that limit those people that they could fairly represent? Would it turn a council meeting into a family affair. a dynasty or are people comfortable with only two or three family’s having control over what happens in their town, with their taxes, their community? I know I am not, but when it comes time for elections, every person needs to make that decision for themselves, because if the option arises to choose to allow family members on council, it is really only up to the voters to protect themselves and ensure their own fair representation.
My true feelings about this up coming election are these: I don’t care if people vote for me or not – what matters the most to me is that people come out and vote, making informed decisions and choosing what they honestly feel is best for them, their family and their community, that the next four years they can rest assured that they will be fairly represented in their community. If that includes me on Rivers’ council, that will be great and I will do my best for them, if it doesn’t – that is ok too because that is what a democracy is all about. What I really, REALLY care about is that everyone in this and every community realizes that they matter, that regardless of ages, economic or social status, employment or culture, that THEY have a voice and that they can use it, especially on election day.
Put up or Shut up. Municipal Elections 2010
August 25th, 2010September 21 is the deadline for submitting your name and nomination form for municipal elections all across Manitoba. Did you know that in order to run for Mayor/Reeve or Councillor in any given town or RM that you don’t actually need any experience in government, that this job actually provides all the training that you will need to help affect change in your community.
You may run for municipal office if you:
- Are a Canadian citizen;
- Are at least 18 years of age on Election Day;
- Are a resident of Manitoba;
- Are a qualified voter of the municipality (you have either resided or owned property in the municipality for at least six months); and
- Have not been disqualified from running under The Municipal Act, or any other Act (see below for examples of disqualifications).
That is it – that is all you need to be able to run for office – that and a desire to get involved and DO something about all of the issues in your community – you know the ones that people complain about in the coffee shops and in online discussions. So considering that almost everyone over the age of 18 is eligible to run for municipal office, why do so many municipal officers get re-appointed through acclimation because no one contests them – not officially anyway, not where it counts – at the polls?
Everyone who knows me and even a few that just know of me, know that I have very strong opinions on many things and am always asking questions and getting involved in areas that I have an interest in, especially when I see what I feel is abuse of power, or someone picking on others that can’t defend themselves. there is nothing in this world that will motivate me into action faster than a bully. Maybe that stems from my childhood and years of feeling powerless and unable to protect myself from the many abusers and bullies in my own life – actually that is most definitely where my motivation comes from, but regardless, it is there. Now that I have found my voice and my power, I refuse to ever be silenced or bullied again. Unfortunately that is not a trait that can be given to others, they have to find it within themselves.
So is that why so many people will complain about the ‘state of the union’ without standing up and at least trying to change things? Is that why so few will put themselves on the line and stand up for what they believe – even if it means standing alone? Do they, do you feel powerless? Do you feel bullied into believing that YOUR opinion, that YOUR voice doesn’t matter? That you don’t count? Well – YOU DO. You have just as much right, just as much obligation to your family, your community and to yourself to be an advocate for the change that you want to see, to take your talk and complaints out of the coffee shop and into the offices where they can actually make a difference. Talk is cheap but action is priceless.
Watching the inner workings of our local council and listening to the complaints and comments in the coffee shop, all I can say is that at least those 7 people, whether we like them as individuals, respect them as leaders or not, at least they are DOING something. They have put their asses on the line to affect change, they aren’t just talking about what they think and what they want, they are making it happen. If you don’t like what that is, you have the same opportunity as they did 4 years ago to put your name on the line, run for council and work for change from the inside.
And if you are one to bitch and complain about what your council does, doesn’t do or should do - what are YOU going to DO about it? September 21 is coming upon us quickly, are you going to put up or shut up?
Going to Extremes
August 18th, 2010One of my favorite things to do when travelling (and I travel often) is to people watch. People fascinate me – how the dress, act, look, and interact with each other. On a recent trip I couldn’t help but notice a few things about the women that I saw and it made me wonder if what our society is missing could be as simple as a redefinition of normality.
When it comes to physical appearances, I probably ‘check out’ more women than an adolescent boy. I believe that it is a professional requirement – keeping up with trends, body image, composition and attitudes that women extend to both themselves and others. What I noticed during this trip is that there seemed to be very few women that I would classify as ‘normal’ when it comes to weight and body composition. And what I classify as normal for women is somewhere between 21% and 30% body fat and for men, between 10% and 20%. These are healthy levels and should be what society deems normal as far as weight goes. What the scale says and what those dreaded BMI charts in the doctor’s office say should be irrelevant – as should 95% of models and celebrities we see touted as the ‘ideal’ figure as most are so below the healthy body fat level it is scary.
When I was looking at the women around me, I saw some very disturbing things – either I was looking at women who were visibly overweight or obese or women so incredibly low in body fat that I could see protruding bones. Neither of these extremes are healthy or should be acceptable to any woman concerned about health and longevity. It isn’t about appearance – it isn’t about what size looks good in the latest fashions – it is about what is healthy and anything to an extreme is not.
Beyond our appearances, let’s take a look at behaviors. I have clients that come to me looking for some reason why their 0% fat diet or their Carb-free diet isn’t working for them or why their 12 vitamin supplement and 900 calorie a day diet isn’t getting them the results they seek. And the same answer is my reply to all of them - we need balance in your life. In what we do, what we eat, what we drink and how we look. Women are meant to have body fat – at least 20% – it is how we are made to look, made to reproduce, made to live. Our bodies are made to utilize fat, carbs and proteins to achieve optimal performance and health – amazingly enough, we need 55% of our calories to come from complex carbs every day and between 20-25% of those calories to come from naturally sourced fats. Is it really that surprising that our bodies won’t work or look the way they are supposed to when we cut either of those out?
My fitness clients are also shocked when they realize that muscle-bound bodies, 6-pack abs and not an ounce to jiggle isn’t mine and shouldn’t be their fitness goals either, because even exercise can be taken to an extreme and do more damage than good. Professional athletes – especially women who work their bodies into a rock-hard machine, dropping body fat in exchange for muscle and touting 6-8% body fat like many Olympic Calorie athletes do, shouldn’t be the ideal figure for our fitness goals. At those levels, while performing like well trained machines, our bodies will not function right – women can sacrifice not only their outward signs of femininity such as breasts, hips and curves, but may also run the risk of reducing their ability to reproduce with lack of menstruation, inability to lactate and so-on.
the first thing I do with a new client is to encourage them to through out their bathroom scales – weight means NOTHING – it has nothing to do with health and it shouldn’t be how we set our goals. We should be focussing on body fat and general health – getting our bodies to function properly and in balance so that they can do what they are designed to do. Extreme behavior promotes extreme results and when it comes to health – extremes are never a good thing.
Let’s start focus sing on the middle ground, looking good to ourselves, feeling great about ourselves and doing what we need to do to balance our lives in every way possible – Emotionally, Mentally, Physically & Spiritually. Only when we are in balance will we be able to see who we were truly meant to be, as individuals and as a society.