There is something we have in Canada and especially here in Quinte that greatly separates us from our neighbours to the South.
When elections happen in the U.S., the campaign is often vitriolic, nasty and leaves wounds that fester long after the votes are counted. The peaceful and orderly transfer of power, like common decency, seems to be a thing of the past south of the 49th parallel.
I am happy to report, that is not the case here.
Case in point, the Mayor’s race in Belleville.
Over the past few days, I have been very encouraged to see many winning and losing candidates post messages of congratulations and appreciation to those that supported them, but also warm messages of congratulations to the very people who received more votes than they did.
Mayor Neil Ellis did that very thing, posting yesterday to Facebook that he wished Mayor-Elect Paul Fleming well along with the newly elected Council which includes most of the group that served with him.
When I spoke to Fleming outside the Yacht Club on election night, he was quick to point out that Ellis had already been there to shake his hand and they would be meeting soon to begin the transition.
As we pause to reflect this week on the importance of peaceful and orderly elections (whether or not you liked the specific results this time), let us also be thankful for the civility involved in the transition process.
It’s not often seen or fully appreciated, but it’s almost as important to local municipalities as what happens at the ballot box.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
