ELECTION TIPS

ELECTION TIME AND A FEW TIPS FOR THE UNDECIDED VOTERS

Yes, it is once again time to hold the elections for representatives on the Gwynedd County and Caernarfon Town Councils and the first thing I would wish to impress upon all of you is the importance of casting your vote for one or more of the candidates. Do not underestimate the fact that this is an ideal platform for those with aspirations to serve their fellow men.

Firstly, I will deal with the Town Council. It is a well known fact that the powers of this community council are very limited and can be compared with the parish councils in the period prior to the first Local Government Reorganization in 1974. Nevertheless, this should not deter anyone from ignoring the importance of electing suitable councillors to represent them at this level. The main reason for this being that it is an excellent opportunity for those with little or no experience of Local Government to serve an “apprenticeship” in this field. However, and before deciding on whom to vote for I would suggest that you talk to the candidates and read and digest all the literature that comes through your letterbox at election time. After doing so, decide for yourself as to whom has convinced you that he or she has a genuine concern for the wellbeing of the Ward, irrespective of whether membership of a political party comes into it or not. The person you are looking for should be sincere in wishing to contribute to his/her town and not be concerned about the status being a councillor brings and bide his time waiting for an opportunity to wear that much coveted Mayoral Chain. Beware also the glory seeker not content to attend to the complaints of electors, without seeking publicity for his or her actions. The satisfaction of having been able to help someone with a problem should be enough of a reward in itself without making it known to all and sundry.

When deciding on voting for a representative on the County Council, the same criteria apply in general, but here more emphasis should be put on the suitability of the person from an educational point of view. If someone were to approach him/her requesting a letter be sent to an authority stating a particular case or grievance it is imperative that the letter be written in such a way as to give credence to the content and to be devoid of elementary grammatical errors in either English or Welsh. And remember it does not need an Oxford Don to be able to do that. People expect councillors not only to be able to express themselves eloquently in both languages, but to act as unpaid secretaries as well.

May both Gwynedd and Caernarfon Councils benefit as a result of this election.