The heat of the battle subsides, as the victors and casualties count their gains and losses. The big winner, of course, is the voting public. We have exercised our cherished privilege and once again affirmed our commitment to the rule of law and self-government.
There were big voter turnouts in the two Wards that had challengers running. This is good for the constituencies of those districts, and good for the community as a whole.
Those who complain about the state of affairs in local government, yet never go out themselves to cast a vote and help make a difference, are a sorry sight to behold. How can we help to motivate our fellow citizens to do their civic duty and participate in the process?
Clearly, the best thing we can do is to set an example by demonstrating how simple and easy it is to trek down to your local polling place and do what must be done.
Congratulations to all the winners, and to their hard working opponents who fell short of the mark, but mostly to ourselves for making a difference. We can take pride in playing our parts in the ongoing process of making our local government work for us.
At the end of the day, when all the votes are tallied, when the bunting comes down and the podiums are struck from their stages, we remain to live our lives, do our jobs, and raise our children in the community we love and honor.
Let us teach our children to carry on this ethic of responsibility to our community. Lest we become ruled by the few.