People dreaming of running for municipal office got a taste of what to expect during a special information session. The Region of Waterloo and local municipalities held the event called “Local Lead” at the Ken Sieling Museum to teach potential candidates what to expect during the election coming up this October. “It’s needed because we really want to encourage good candidates to run for office,” Cari Van Nierkerk, director of corporate communications for the City of Waterloo, said. “‘Good’ means anyone who’s interested in putting themselves forward for public service. It doesn’t matter about your background. It doesn’t matter about your history. We want everyone to know what they need to know to be able to run for office, to have this information available and to know that they are welcome. Anyone who is at least 18-years-old and a Canadian citizen can run for office. They must either live in the municipality they want to represent or own, or have a spouse who owns, property in that municipality and cannot be legally prohibited from voting or disqualified by any legislation from holding office. Each of Waterloo Region’s municipalities had election packages on-hand at the information session to help would-be candidates get their paperwork in order before submitting their name for the ballot. The event was free and completely full. “We really are excited that so many people are considering becoming leaders in our community. Whether this translates into everyone who has come out tonight actually running for office or supporting someone running for office – we are just very exited that so many people want to engage at the local level,” Van Niekerk said. Payton Ebel, the municipal advisor for the Ministery of Municipal Affairs, gave a presentation about the Municipal Elections Act and provincial guidelines, while former municipal leaders and election-focused groups were available as well. “All the different rules that are required of a candidate are so important,” Dave Jaworsky, former mayor for the City of Waterloo, said. “There’s a book that comes with the candidate package that is given out by local municipalities. But here, they’re able to sit back, enjoy and understand what is going to be required of them. And for the small sum of $100, or $200 for mayor, anybody can run in our community.” “It’ll change their life forever for the better” Jaworski said it was friends that convinced him to run for office back in 2014. “I say to everyone who considers running that if they do run and go door-to-door and hear from their fellow citizens, whether they win or lose, it’ll change their life forever for the better. And that’s why I think that everybody should be considering it, or helping a friend, or making a donation to a friend once they register,” Jaworski said. Organizers said it’s the first time all the municipalities have come together for this kind of information session, and they hope it gives potential candidates the guidance they need to understand the process and what they’re throwing their hat into. “We welcome them in this process. We want them to be informed. We want to make this as easy as possible, so that we can pull from as wide a pool of candidates as possible,” Van Niekerk said. One of the potential candidates in the crowd was Waterloo resident Eda Dede, who wants to be a councillor in Ward Five of the City of Waterloo. “I have been working in the public sector and I love serving people. I have a lot of things in my toolkit, and I want to share all of those with the people that I live together with,” Dede said. “I’ve been doing my homework, but I always believe that there’s never a limit to learn. So, I believe that there would be some things for me that I can take with me. And I am.” The nomination period for potential candidates opens on Friday, May 1 and closes on Friday, August 21 at 2 p.m. The next municipal election is Monday, October 26.
