Why the delay?

In communities right across Ontario, candidates have been tossing their hats in the ring for this fall’s municipal election.
Fort Frances isn’t among them. As of this morning, no one had yet stepped forward to run for mayor, council, either of the two school boards, or the “Central” seat on the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board in the Oct. 27 vote.
Why the delay?
True, candidates have until Sept. 12 to enter the race and people here are notorious for leaving things until the last minute. But with the serious economic challenges Fort Frances currently is facing, the silence surrounding ideas, solutions, and plans to tackle them is, well, deafening.
There also has been nary of whisper as yet about the referendum question that will be on the ballot—whether Fort Frances should be considered as a possible site for a casino.
Voters have a duty to know the issues before casting their ballot. By that same token, voters deserve to know well in advance who is running for office so they have plenty of time to question candidates and hear their platforms so as to make an informed choice.
If everyone waits until Sept. 12 to file their nominations, that effectively gives voters just over two weeks to weigh their options before the mail-in ballot kits go out during the first week of October.
That simply isn’t enough time to adequately debate the issues and know where the candidates stand.
Those intending to seek office this fall are urged to announce their candidacies soon. Surely the future of Fort Frances, or the direction of the two local school boards, is worth a frank and lengthy dialogue before we choose our leaders for the next four years.