Niagara grassroots group working for political change
With the municipal election still about 10 months away, a new grassroots group is ramping up its efforts to change Niagara’s political leadership.
“People can make a difference,” says Liz Benneian, a board member with A Better Niagara coalition, a group formed this year in the hope of seeing significant changes to the political landscape when the dust settles after the Oct. 22 municipal election.
“We can choose good people to represent us, and there is no doubt in my mind because I’ve seen it happen over and over again,” she says.
“We can have better and we deserve better.”
Benneian says there are “really good politicians at the regional level,” but there are also some “who need to find other employment after the election.”
Her organization is focusing its attention on finding more of those “good politicians,” and encouraging them to become candidates when registrations begin May 25, while also offering them support and information to help them reach their goals.
Coalition president Sean Polden says the fall election “seems so far away, but, you know what, time moves so quickly.”
“For people who are considering running, they need to be putting their wheels in motion, now,” he says.
Benneian says the coalition is also working to recruit more women to put their names forward.
There are now only four women among Niagara’s 31 members of regional council, including Niagara Falls Coun. Selina Volpatti, St. Catharines Coun. Debbie MacGregor, Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton and Wainfleet Mayor April Jeffs.
“It’s ridiculous really in this day and age,” Benneian says.
“We definitely need to see more women active in politics. We need to see more women as politicians. We need to see more women on boards. We get better governance when people are better represented.”
Polden says A Better Niagara hopes to work towards ensuring voters are educated about issues and candidates, while offering prospective politicians “essentially a tool kit” to help them prepare for the election, including tips for running a successful campaign, information about changes to campaign financing requirements, and advice from experienced politicians including A Better Niagara member Jeff Burch.
“There are a lot of people who are really good candidates who we have identified who may not have run for public office before, but they have excellent potential,” says Burch, who represented residents of St. Catharines’ Merritton ward before losing his bid to become mayor in 2014.
“There are some people like myself and others that have run in elections before and we can help them out, show them how to get started and how to run a campaign,” he says.
“We’re just trying to help new people get involved.”
Burch says A Better Niagara is “absolutely, completely nonpartisan.”
“We have people from all different political parties, and a lot of that is because the organization sprang from the issues around the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority,” he says.
After assisting St. Catharines resident Ed Smith with his legal fees when he was sued by NPCA, Burch says, group members “started thinking we needed a group to educate new candidates, recruit new candidates, and replace some of the ones that need replacing.”
Although it’s not uncommon for partisan groups such as labour and business organizations to take similar actions during elections, Polden says it’s the first time he’s aware of “that a nonpartisan community group has come together and said, ‘ We’re going to take this on.’”
While voter apathy may have kept people away from the polls in past elections, Polden doubts that will be the case next fall.
“I personally anticipate there’s going to be more engagement in this election, and regionwide because we’re going to be electing a regional chair,” he says. “We’re going to be able to have that voice at a regional level this time around, which we haven’t.”
More information about the coalition can be found on its website, www.abetterniagara.com, as well as on the group’s Facebook page.
Polden says the organization’s plans to release more information next week.