Overwhelming response to A Better Niagara election workshops

Members of A Better Niagara have no doubt that voters want to see some big changes this election year.

But members of the grassroots organization didn’t expect the response they received when they announced a series of workshops to help prospective candidates prepare for the upcoming municipal election.

“I didn’t think that we anticipated that it would initially ‘sell out’ in 24 hours,” said A Better Niagara president Sean Polden.

So far, 95 people have registered to participate in free workshops, taking place at St. Catharines Public Library on Thursday; on Jan. 31 at McBain Community Centre in Niagara Falls, and at Welland Community Wellness Complex on Feb. 3.

“Definitely, I think the rush is indicative of the general sentiment of politics in the region. People are dissatisfied with the governance that they’re seeing. It seems to be one thing after another and another. People have had enough.”

Polden said St. Catharines’ event was moved to a larger room in the library to allow organizers to accommodate an additional 25 people. But those extra seats quickly filled up, too.

The only remaining seats are in Welland, for a 1 p.m. session, and Polden said that facility can hold up to 100 people.

Polden said people who have registered include some municipal politicians as well as political hopefuls.

“It’s probably people who are interested in checking it out and seeing what’s going on,” he said.

He said material being presented during the workshops can be useful to both political newcomers, as well as veterans.

“There’s information that’s helpful to organize your election campaign, whether you’ve run before or not.”

For newcomers, he said, there will be information presented to help them decide if running for office is right for them.

He said seasoned politicians and campaign managers will be leading the workshops, including, in St. Catharines: retired educator Gary King, who has assisted with political campaigns; former St. Catharines regional councillor Eleanor Lancaster; and Debbie Zimmerman, who served as regional chair for six of her 36 years representing constituents in Grimsby on town and regional councils.

“We will have different speakers for each event, because it was obviously dependent on speaker availability,” Polden said, adding speakers for Niagara Falls and Welland are still being finalized.

“We’re hoping to do two or three other municipalities in Niagara before the end of February.”

Although the events are free to attend, participants must pre-register at www.abetterniagara.com.