politics & Governance

Part of the role of municipal elected government includes advocacy to our province's elected officials and the various ministries regardless of which party is in control of the legislature. As a member of Sooke Council, Noah will commit to engaging our counterparts in senior orders of government including in the CRD and Federal Government with a respectful and data driven non partisan approach that is free of sensationalist distractions and reactionary rhetoric - an approach he feels will be more successful no matter who’s on the other side of the table.

The presence of slates (officially known as Electoral Organizations) in municipal politics is newer to Sooke but hardly new, and Noah cautions against this partisan approach to local government. They are presented as merely a campaign finance tool but don’t necessarily have to play by the same rules as regular independent candidates. After the election, the implications for good governance are troubling: Council members should not have to feel obligated to one another or a mutual donor under a predetermined agenda. The partisan dynamic, with battle lines drawn, can create a stifling environment where rational, independent voices may choose to remain silent, and only the most extreme positions are given notice. This pattern is extremely dangerous for our democracy and is a recipe for delayed, deadlocked, or downright dysfunctional directives from a fractured government body.

Noah is hopeful that the new Sooke Council is comprised of individual thinkers who, whether they campaigned as part of a slate or not, are interested in learning the facts of a given matter and genuinely engaging with the public and with each other in debate about it prior to making their decisions.