Dear Editor,
I wanted to put out a call of thanks to all the folks who hosted all kinds of news and information during the election campaign. From the online spaces such as Barbara Wiltshire’s Bowen Island Online Forum and the Facebook All-Candidates Forum George Zawadzki and I created, to the numerous face to face public meetings, speed dating sessions and conversations with candidates and beyond. There were a myriad of ways that people could participate, engage and make decisions during this election cycle. I think it helped us all to learn as much as we needed to cast our votes, and I also think it set a tone of diverse ways to engage that the new Council can continue to develop.
I also want to acknowledge our own local paper. Being the paper of record for such a small and opinionated community is no mean feat, and Meribeth and Maureen do amazing work fitting in all the viewpoints and opinions that Islanders try to share. Having worked in newspapers, I know the challenge of balancing fairness, brevity and diversity. They did a terrific job.
We are lucky to have a real newspaper on Bowen Island, and not an advertising circular with a couple of press releases. It reflects the quality and care we put into civic discourse here. Let us never take it for granted. Long may it continue to reflect us to ourselves.
Chris Corrigan
