The Editor,
Democracy is fragile, should not be taken for granted and must be nurtured. I, therefore, agree with Jerome Dickey that the all-party meeting held by Radio AM1320 was unfair to every independent running for council as they were not invited to attend.
The same week, Kwantlen Polytechnic University permitted the attendance of all independents, but only one candidate from each organized slate.
Does not every candidate on a slate also have an independent voice and their own contribution to make? I certainly hope so!
The organizers of these events need to find a better way to open dialogue between the voting public and the people who wish to represent them.
If these events are too logistically complex to hold, perhaps in-depth surveys (for the public to assess the positions that each candidate holds) followed by public ‘meet and greets’ is a better way for political engagement.
Democracy can be clumsy and inconvenient but the alternatives are stark.
Dr. Kristian von Schalburg
(Richmond City Council candidate)
