As we pause to honour one dedicated public servant, we should all talk time to reflect on what it means to serve in an elected office.
Sad news emerged on Monday, as Hastings County and Carlow/Mayo Township both released statements on the passing of Mayor Randy Wallace.
Wallace was remembered as a dedicated public servant with a passion for the community that he lovingly served after being elected for his only term in 2022.
Especially in rural areas and in the current political climate, such people are becoming more difficult to find and even harder to enlist to a cause that has many hurdles and obstacles.
You have until August 21st to file your papers to run in this fall’s municipal elections.
Your reward for a long campaign, the investment of your time and money, and exposing yourself to public criticism is a generally low-paying position with tremendous responsibility and exposure to liability but little in the way of public praise, pomp or circumstance.
In the social media era, when it seems like there are more investigations by the integrity commissioner than hearty handshakes, many people are choosing NOT to put their names on the ballot. I encourage you to consider it.
We need more people like Randy to step up and be counted. The future of our communities, families and homes depends on it.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
