Action for Agriculture AGM

[cowman]

The councils that get themselves in trouble are usually the ones that don't have a good 'read' for what their constituents want or think they are ' in charge' and can do whatever they choose.
I used to go out to every community hall and have a meeting every spring and fall, and discuss what we were planning in the budget and get ideas on what the priorities were among my constituents, then I went back and fought like hell to ensure that at least some of those priorities were addressed .
The mindset of some members of council when I was still a member was to promise paved roads to everyone and you would get elected, then when you couldn't deliver the pavement you blamed it on the spending priorities of the rest of council or administration !
I would never play that game, even though it cost me votes when people would meet me at the door during the election campaign and demand that their road be paved and tell me point blank that they would vote for the first candidate that would promise to get the pavement for them !!! That is where you find out just how selfish some people can be, no thought to priorities all across the municipality, just past their own backdoor !!!

[cowman]

Well like I said emerald, it can be a pretty dirty job and whatever you do there are going to be people who question your motives?
I went to one councillors retirement party and he got up and gave a little speech where he lectured the crowd about how municipal politics had changed in all his years in office. He really pointed out how bad some aspics of it had become! Where honorable men were smeared and the rhetoric had got out of hand! And I had to agree with him? I know he was an honorable man and I know he was libelled and slandered and ineuedoes cast upon him....we had one councillor who was a real jerk...luckily he got the boot!
I believe your average "informed" voter sees through all the BS and can come to a sensible conclusion? The trick here is the word "informed"? My own personal belief is only about 10-20 % of voters ever do their homework and have the information to make a rational judgement on who should be elected?
Maybe we need to start teaching that sort of stuff in school instead of how to feel good about yourself no matter how big a loser you really are?

[cowman]

It is a sad day when good, honest people with common sense and integrity are slandered and smeared in the very community they have spent their lifetime working for its' betterment. I have seen good people that have done one heck of a job on council get elected due to a smear campaign, and it is not only hurtful to the council member but devastating to their family as well.

I would NEVER consider running again for municipal council, the 10-15% of voters that really pay attention aren't usually the ones that speak out, so more than often it is the ones with axes to grind or just like to hear themselves talk.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy my years on council, learned a lot about my municipality and also how the provincial government works, as well as learned one hell of a lot about numerous pieces of legislation that affect rural alberta, although I still have a lot to learn in that regard.

I think I ran for council for the wrong reasons, I wanted to make a contribution to my community and also was steadfast in my committment to being honest at all times.....seems that the councillors that are the exact opposite are the ones that get all the credit for the good things that get done and escape the blame for the royal screwups that they are responsible for. But, sooner or later they either quit or pay the piper in an election.

[cowman]

oops should have said get defeated due to a smear campaign !

[cakadu]

Critical thinking skills are extremely important cowman, yet in school we are taught to be the "round pegs" that fit into the holes. Labels abound for children these days and it is really quite sad to see. I have never, ever been afraid to ask a question when it needed to be asked and I do get informed about issues. Instead of quashing that in kids we should be encouraging critical thinking skills. Logic and reason should be used to form ones opinions etc. not emotion, misinformation or just plain raising cain.

I also happen to think that having self-esteem and liking oneself goes a long way towards being able to stand up and voice one's thoughts. The two go hand in hand actually. It takes a great deal of belief in yourself to be able to stand fast when others around you are trying to pull you down.

My experience has been that if you are thinking about the question, then so are others.

I'd like to share the "Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership"

People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered, love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives, do good anyway.

If you are successful, you'll win false friends and true enemies, succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow, do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulneralbe, be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds, think big anyway.

People favour underdogs but follow only top dogs, fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight, build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway.

Give the world the best that you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

[cakadu]

good thoughts Linda. I know from experience that the average thinking person can see through all the smearing but many of them won't speak out because of the impact it may have on their businesses etc. When I was first elected to council a very wise man told me that by the time my career in municipal politics was over I would have; less money; fewer friends in my own community but I would have made many fast friendships across the province, and he was correct. Some of the people I thought were friends turned out to be fair weather friends and spoke against me when they didn't get what they wanted from council, even if what they were asking for was against the rules ! True friends always stand by you and those friends were always there encouraging me and urging me to keep on fighting the good fight !!!
Funny thing is that some folks that never did like the decisions I made have since said I was the fairest councillor ever in our municipality and treated everyone equal....which is what I set out to do, so you never know where the kind words will come from at the end of the day.