Dear Editor:
RE: Steven Liebig accepts vacant Guelph/Eramosa councillor position, March 17.
While I appreciated seeing that Steven Liebig was stepping into the vacant Guelph/Eramosa councillor role, I feel his swearing-in is more of the same.
To be clear, this is no reflection on Liebig and his obvious enthusiasm for serving. Sitting on council is an important role and we owe Liebig and everyone who runs for office our thanks for taking the time and energy to guide our community governments.
This change in council makeup, however, is a stark reminder that the pool of candidates we have to choose from is not diverse enough and does not reflect the gender or racial makeup of our community. Yet again, we have another municipal council made up entirely of white men.
It does not have to be this way. MunicipalCampaignSchool.ca is a volunteer-led effort to encourage women and other equity-seeking groups to think about running for local office and school boards. The site is full of tools, videos and practical tips to help new candidates build and run a successful municipal election campaign. I encourage all your readers to invite women leaders in their respective communities to visit the site to learn more. (Equally important is to ask how you can support their campaign!)
More diverse voices make for better economic, social and environmental decision making. Together we have to encourage a wider range of leaders to run for office so our municipal councils more accurately reflect all voices in our community.
Curt Hammond,
Elora