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LOGAN MACLEAN: You, yes you, should run for council this fall in P.E.I.

You should run in the November municipal election. And if you don’t, you should definitely vote and get involved.

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On Nov. 2, 56 municipalities will hold general elections. With all councils in the province having at least six councillors and a mayor, there are over 400 council positions up for grabs. For all of these to be contested, well over 800 people would need to run.

That is unlikely to happen. History shows many council seats will go uncontested with the lone candidate acclaimed. Others will have no candidates at all. For a recent example, the Resort Municipality of Cavendish was supposed to have an election this summer. Instead, all seven seats were acclaimed. While it is good seven people stood for office, competition and voter choice are a fundamental part of democracy.

This fall, we will see more of the same — unless more voters take a stand as candidates.

So why would someone want to take that leap? P.E.I., like most places, tends to get caught up in the flash and conflict of parliamentary party politics. We hear plenty about the business of federal and provincial governments. But the local municipal government has as much impact on your daily life, if not more.

While the feds and province handle the big headlines and big budgets, your local council is the one deciding what happens in the town or village. They build the roads and sidewalks that allow or hinder your path to work. They........

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