Emerging Trend: The Emergency Service Perspective

“While waiting to board our plane in Orlando, I was viewing municipal election information, specifically candidates running. There is an interesting trend emerging across our region in this municipal election.

Current and former emergency-service personnel are stepping forward and putting their names on the ballot — those I know personally include Dean Wilkinson for Deputy Mayor of Leamington, Robert Brando for Deputy Mayor of Kingsville, and Trevor Menard for Mayor of Essex.

Different communities, different positions, different individuals - but they share something important: Years of serving their communities long before asking their communities for a vote.

Emergency-service personnel experience their communities from a perspective few others ever will.

They have answered calls at two o'clock in the morning. They have been there when families are experiencing their worst day. They have worked through emergencies when decisions have to be made quickly, resources have to be managed responsibly, and everyone has to work together toward a common goal.

They have also seen firsthand where the gaps exist. They understand what happens when infrastructure is stretched. They understand the importance of roads, water, communications, emergency planning and reliable municipal services. They understand that what appears sufficient in a report or around a boardroom table doesn't always reflect what is happening on the ground. And perhaps most importantly, they understand that public service is about people.

In emergency services, there is no room for political theatre when the call comes in. Nobody asks which ward someone lives in, what their politics are, or whether helping them will generate recognition. Someone needs help. You show up.

That mentality can bring a valuable perspective to municipal government. It means listening to the people doing the work. It means identifying problems before they become emergencies. It means recognizing gaps and finding practical solutions.

It means understanding that taxpayers expect the people entrusted with their dollars to establish priorities, make difficult decisions and deliver results.

Dean Wilkinson, Robert Brando and Trevor Menard aren't connected simply because they are candidates in neighbouring municipalities. They represent something larger happening across our region — people with backgrounds in emergency and community service stepping forward to serve in a different capacity.

For years, they answered the call when their communities needed them. Now they are asking for the opportunity to bring that experience, perspective and understanding of the gaps to their respective Council tables.

Because service doesn't begin when you're elected. For some, it started decades before their name ever appeared on a ballot.”

   -Brandon Chartier