A FINAL WORD

 

A FINAL WORD FROM VOICE OF NANAIMO

The questions still matter. It is time for me to step back.

The last civic election has led me to a difficult conclusion: the time and effort I have devoted to Voice of Nanaimo would now be better spent elsewhere.

I began this work believing that accessible information, reasonable questions and public scrutiny could encourage more residents to take an interest in their city—and have a say in its direction.

I still believe an informed public is essential. But the level of disengagement evident in this election has made me question how much more I can accomplish through these pages.

This will be my final article for Voice of Nanaimo.

Municipal government touches the daily lives of everyone who lives here. Property taxes, water, sewer, roads, public safety and the cost of running the city reach into every household. Renters pay those costs too, even when the property tax bill arrives in someone else’s name.

Throughout my writing, I have returned to some basic questions.

What services should City Hall provide? What should they cost? Can the people paying the bills afford the increases? How do we know whether we are getting value for our money?

These should be ordinary questions in a healthy civic debate. They deserve clear answers, supported by numbers the public can understand.

My concern has never been simply that government spends money. We need public services, reliable infrastructure and people to deliver them. The question is whether spending decisions receive enough scrutiny—and whether household affordability carries enough weight when those decisions are made.

For someone comfortably absorbing another increase, the consequences may seem modest. For a pensioner, a working family or a small business already stretched thin, they can mean another difficult choice.

Those people deserve a persistent voice.

But an independent local publication has limits. It can research, explain, question and encourage. It cannot make civic participation a priority for people who have decided to leave it to someone else.

I recognize that people disengage for different reasons. Some are exhausted by the demands of daily life. Some believe their vote will change nothing. Others are satisfied with the way things are going. Low participation does not tell us what every absent voter thinks.

It does, however, leave the decisions to those who participate. And everyone lives with the consequences.

My disappointment goes beyond which candidates won or lost. In an election, voters are entitled to reach conclusions different from mine. What troubles me is how difficult it remains to generate broad public interest in decisions that affect us all.

I have had to ask myself the same question I have so often asked about public spending: Is this effort producing enough value to justify what goes into it?

For me, the answer is no longer sufficient to continue.

To those who read the articles, shared them, offered information, challenged my conclusions or took the time to join the discussion: thank you. Your interest mattered. So did your willingness to disagree thoughtfully.

I am particularly grateful to those who care about this city enough to look beyond a headline, examine a budget and ask a follow-up question. That is the work of citizenship, and Nanaimo needs more of it.

I am stepping back with concerns still unresolved and questions still unanswered. The need for scrutiny will continue long after this final post.

City Hall will continue making decisions. The bills will continue arriving. Who will keep asking the questions?

—Jim Taylor
Voice of Nanaimo