March 24, 2007
Since the extraordinary result of the civic election, we have been asked repeatedly by supporters what's next for the Guelph Civic League. We are committed to carrying on the valuable work of citizen advocacy. Our board has been planning the coming year. We proved in the recent election that there are a large number of progressive people in Guelph with a good grasp of the issues. Unifying around common values is important.
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT
Over the past 18 months we worked to educate and mobilize the electorate, promote voter turnout, and elect leaders representative of our common values. Together, we helped bring about an unprecedented change at city hall. That doesn't mean the job is done. It's never done. We'll be staying on top of the issues and tracking votes on council.
We see our role with city government hinging on two things: making the issues more accessible and understandable, and helping citizens to get involved in the political process. We'll continue to encourage our supporters to contact Guelph's mayor and city councillors. We also intend to poll GCL supporters regularly to get their opinions on key issues, then communicate those opinions to council. Our readers poll before the election - asking e-bulletin readers about which candidates best reflected their values -- was the model for this. Almost 500 subscribers responded. It is a powerful tool we intend to hone.
OUR 2007 FOCUS
We intend to be selective. As a small group with limited resources we aren't able to respond every time a debate arises at council. We have consulted extensively over the past year to determine the issues that are most important to GCL supporters. They include land development, public spaces, public/political process, political reform, waste, and water. Please e-mail us at focus07@guelphcivicleague.ca about the priority issues or projects you'd like us to consider for this year.
BETTERS WAYS, THE E-BULLETIN
As before, in our e-bulletin, we intend to show "better ways" -- how things are being done well in other places that Guelph can emulate. It will also contain interesting news and notes about key issues in Guelph, and easy ways to express your opinion, either via polls or some type of online forum. If you aren't a 'Better Ways' subscriber, or if you know someone who should be, signing up is easy on this site.
AMAZING POSSIBILITIES, YEAR TWO
We are already working on a sequel to "Amazing Possibilities," our successful sell-out conference last May at Rozanski Hall at the University of Guelph. This year's date will be May 3 in the same great location. Look for speaker confirmations in coming weeks.
STARTING CONVERSATIONS
It's also our intention to moderate a number of townhall-style events, bringing together politicians, experts, and citizens. Constructive dialogue opens minds to new possibilities. We'd like to be an arbiter of that process now that Guelph has a city council ostensibly open to greater public input.
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Contact the Guelph Civic League: info@guelphcivicleague.ca • Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporation #1678211
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