Hoping for a long list of candidates on Oct. 24

So many important decisions to come, so many opinions to consider, so many questions outstanding.

And one day into the long process leading up to the municipal elections this fall, one answer so far — Mayor Frank Campion will seek re-election in Welland.

Nominations officially opened Monday, and by the time they close on Aug. 19 several hundred people will have signed on to seek election to a seat on one of the municipal councils or school boards across Niagara in the Oct. 24 vote.

So this is the fun time, when we can imagine all the possibilities, debate the probabilities and for some of us to wonder — what if we ran?

What might that be like?

One of the questions going into this year’s campaign is whether any or all of the region’s big city mayors — Jim Diodati in Niagara Falls, Walter Sendzik in St. Catharines and Campion, all of them seasoned politicians — will run again.

Campion is in. How long will the others keep us guessing? And how about Niagara Region Chair Jim Bradley? Except for a couple of very brief hiccups when he moved between positions at the local and provincial levels, he’s held elected office in Niagara since 1970.

For many residents under the age of 45, it’s hard to imagine the local scene without Bradley either holding office or running for one.

At 77, he’s the very definition of a political animal — will he be back?

We salute everyone who shows enough commitment to their community to step out from the crowd, walk the walk, sign up and run for a seat on either their local council or on regional council.

In this space, we frequently question and sometimes criticize the decisions our elected representatives make not just at the council table but also in the community.

To be a local politician in 2022 means more than simply having your yea or nay votes at the council table scrutinized. Your tweets and social media posts are fair game, and for much of the past two years even whether or not you wore a mask in public could get you in trouble.

These are angry times that call for a thick skin.

Before you run, take time to think about whether you’re ready for what might lie ahead.

If you have a family, consider them as well.

Except for a few positions — the big three mayors, the regional chair — they’re all part-time jobs that will take up a big part of your life.

The reward isn’t in the money, but in the accomplishment. You have a love for your community — you wouldn’t run if you didn’t — and here is your chance to make it better.

You will make things happen. You’ll stop things from happening. You will work to make not just your own town or city a better place, but all of Niagara.

More than many other regions, Niagara remains a collection of municipal pieces. Infilling hasn’t gotten us to the point yet where we look and feel like one single community, but it’s a work in progress.

In many ways it’s the decisions by those local councils on issues like regional transit, health care and social services that will continue to knit Niagara closer together, in addition to the work regional council does.

Niagara benefits from the wisdom of experience some representatives will bring, but even more it needs fresh voices and new ideas.

Come Oct. 24, we hope Niagara residents will have a long list of names to choose from on their ballot.

That’s where the road ahead starts.