I know which Crowsnest Pass I want

I had a wonderful two weeks off. And when I say off, I mean off.

I read books. I went for runs. I sat outside. I had a glass or two of wine. I spent time with the people I love and, for perhaps the first time in a very long time, I didn’t do much of anything.

It was glorious.

September is going to be busy. I am heading to Belgium and France for work, and I knew I needed to take advantage of some genuine downtime while I had the chance.

Then, during my break, a letter arrived at the newspaper. Councillor Colleen MacDonald was resigning from council.

Her letter appears on page 7, and I encourage you to read it for yourself rather than have me tell you what it says. But I will tell you what I thought when I read it.

What a sad state of affairs for the Crowsnest Pass.

MacDonald writes that the legal challenge concerning her eligibility for nomination has come at an “enormous personal cost,” affecting her reputation, emotional well-being and her family’s finances.

A court application challenged MacDonald’s eligibility for nomination, alleging that she had not met the six-month residency requirement. The court had not ruled on the merits of that allegation before MacDonald resigned.

I am not going to relitigate the matter in these pages, nor am I questioning anyone’s legal right to bring such an application. The applicants were entitled to seek a ruling, and nothing in this editorial should be interpreted as suggesting otherwise.

MacDonald is equally entitled to describe what the experience meant for her. In her resignation letter, she says defending the application came at an “enormous personal cost” and that the personal price ultimately became too high.

MacDonald writes that while there is nothing wrong with holding elected officials accountable, there comes a point when “the process itself becomes the punishment.”

That is MacDonald’s description of her experience. The court did not determine that anyone had acted improperly, and I am not making that allegation.

MacDonald raises a broader question that every person in this community should consider: What happens when people look at public service and conclude that the personal price is simply too high?

That should bother us. It certainly bothers me.

You don’t have to agree with MacDonald politically. You don’t have to agree with every vote she cast or every position she took. That isn’t the point.

The broader concern is what kind of political culture we are creating if people become reluctant to serve because they fear the personal, emotional or financial consequences of public life.

MacDonald raises that concern herself. She writes that when public service carries this level of personal and financial sacrifice, we should not be surprised if fewer people are willing to put their names on a ballot.

Her resignation requires the Municipality to hold a by-election less than a year into council’s four-year term. Because the by-election was not included in the budget, a municipal report recommends allocating $25,000 from the Mill Rate Stabilization Reserve to cover the cost of returning to the polls.

During the last election, I warned about what can happen when political divisions and competing visions become more important than the broader interests of the community.

That warning was not directed at any individual, organization or legal proceeding. It was about the overall direction of our local politics and what can happen when disagreement becomes so consuming that it overshadows the work of building a community.

I say that from experience.

I had the privilege of serving on Crowsnest Pass council for eight years. During those eight years, I served with people I genuinely loved and respected.

We didn’t always agree. Sometimes we disagreed vehemently. But disagreement wasn’t considered disloyalty. Different perspectives were not something to fear. In fact, we encouraged them.

We could argue an issue inside council chambers and still walk out respecting one another. That is how local government is supposed to work.

And we got things done.

Look around this community. Look at the new construction. Look at the improved roads. Look at the expansion of our grocery store, the development at Crowsnest Commons, the transformation of downtown Bellevue, the new skateboard park and the pickleball courts.

Those things didn’t happen overnight. The groundwork for much of what you see happening today was laid during the years I had the privilege of serving on council, when successive councils made decisions intended to encourage progress, investment and change.

We were tackling one of the biggest problems facing this community, housing, by encouraging apartment and condominium development and trying to create room for people to live here, work here and build their lives here.

Were we perfect? Absolutely not.

Did everyone agree with us? Absolutely not.

But Crowsnest Pass was moving. It felt like we were finally looking ahead instead of constantly staring into the rear-view mirror.

Less than a year into this council’s four-year mandate, I am concerned about the direction of our local politics.

That does not mean every decision is wrong or that every councillor shares the same priorities. There are councillors around that table who are working hard, asking good questions and trying to make responsible decisions for the entire community. They should not be painted with the same brush.

I don’t want us going backwards. I don’t want qualified people deciding public service is not worth the personal cost MacDonald describes. I don’t want us creating the impression that this is a community that fights change rather than welcomes responsible investment.

I certainly don’t want the Crowsnest Pass returning to the kind of divisive politics that too often held it back in decades past.

We have worked too damn hard for that.

Every councillor must remember this: your responsibility is broader than any one group, political faction or point of view. You weren’t elected to represent only the people who agree with you. You were elected to represent all of us.

Every neighbourhood. Every business. Every taxpayer. Every resident. The people who voted for you and the people who didn’t.

You are councillors for the entire Municipality of Crowsnest Pass. Never forget it.

The public should hold council accountable. Ask difficult questions. Challenge decisions. Write letters. Show up. Vote. That is democracy.

But remember that the people sitting at the council table are still people.

MacDonald wrote that she hopes her successor will be able to focus on serving the community without experiencing the same personal strain she describes in her letter. I hope so too, because the Crowsnest Pass has enormous potential.

We can keep moving forward. We can welcome investment. We can build housing. We can improve our downtowns. We can disagree with one another and still respect one another.

Or we can allow division to consume the next four years while opportunities pass us by.

I know which Crowsnest Pass I want.

The recent Community Priorities Survey tells us that a significant number of respondents are willing to invest in this community. Twenty-eight per cent said they would support increased taxes to improve or expand municipal services. Only 12 per cent wanted taxes reduced if it meant reducing services.

Think about that. More than twice as many respondents were willing to pay more for improved or expanded services than were willing to accept service cuts in exchange for lower taxes.

The survey is not a plebiscite, and its results represent the views of those who responded. But those responses do not suggest a community determined to retreat. They suggest that many residents are willing to invest in moving forward.

I spent eight years helping move this community forward.

I have no interest in watching the Crowsnest Pass return to the kind of divisive politics that too often held it back in decades past.