Residents get up close and personal with Whitby election candidates
Oct 20, 2010 - 03:34 PM
WHITBY -- To cast a meaningful vote in the municipal election, Viola Sames knows it's not enough to simply acknowledge the signs, skim the flyers and watch the debates.
Face-to-face contact with the candidates is the only way to seal the deal on who she'll be supporting, she said during a Meet the Candidates event, held at Henry Street High School in Whitby on Oct. 19.
"You hear all about what they're going to do but it makes a huge difference to have them actually tell you because you can talk to them, too, and it has a lot to do with first impressions," said Ms. Sames, a resident of Whitby for seven years.
She and her husband Klaus were among hundreds who made it out to the event, hosted by the Whitby Optimist Club to offer the community a final glimpse at who's vying to represent them.
"We just wanted to see the candidates because otherwise you never really get to see them up close," said Mr. Sames, who already knows who he's voting for.
Each of the more than 30 candidates running in Whitby was present at the event, They had their display booths set up and members of their campaign teams on hand to greet visitors.
The Optimist Club has hosted the event for every election since 1997 as a means of reaching out to the community. Election day is Oct. 25.
"It gives them one-on-one, direct access to the candidates and it's the only way to level the playing field for all of them," said Alan Wackett, a member of the club for 10 years.
"It's great for the candidates and it's great for the public."
North ward councillor Sue Pitchforth, who is running to keep her seat, said the evening offered a rare opportunity to meet with some of the town's newer residents.
"A lot of the people I spoke to today are new to Whitby and Brooklin so they've seen all the literature but they haven't actually met anybody yet," she said.
"It's so much nicer when you can actually speak to someone and see first-hand how they address your concerns, what they're about, how passionate they are and what they can do for you."
While he may not yet be old enough to vote, 15-year-old Curtis Proctor made it out to the event to gather information for a civics course he's taking at Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School.
"I'm interested in politics and knowing what people plan to do for the community so I really wanted to meet some of them," he said, adding he'll pass the information onto his teachers and parents.
The large turnout at the event is what most impressed Scott Templeton, who is sign chairman for mayoral candidate Rocky Varcoe.
"It was nothing like this four years ago so it's pretty amazing to see how many people are interested in the election this year," he said. "It really tells you there's change in the air."
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