London needs your voice
Mike Bloxam is the Community Harvest Co-ordinator at the London Food Bank, owner of SunTap Technologies, and a committed community volunteer. He is running for city council in Ward 6, which is home to many Western and Fanshawe students, as well as the Western campus.
It's that time again. There are signs on every corner, leaflets in your mailbox, and candidates are knocking on your door to share their ideas. And for many students, this may be the only time you hear from city politicians during your post-secondary education.
It's a vicious cycle. Students often have trouble seeing how a municipal election will affect them. That leads to low voter turnout. Candidates assume students don't vote and don't bother engaging them. The candidates who are elected continue this lack of engagement and students are left feeling (often correctly) that politicians don't care much about them. They don't vote the next time around, and the cycle continues.
Student issues are London issues. If you weren't in London in 2014, you may not have been aware that the brand new Fanshawe building in the former Kingsmill's department store on Dundas Street was a major election issue in the last municipal election. Candidates argued whether the city's investment in bringing a larger student presence to the core — inside an otherwise threatened heritage building — would be worthwhile. This week, we are hearing about how hundreds more students and faculty downtown are changing London businesses for the better https://lfpress.com/business/local-business/student-lounge-at-marienbad-woos-fanshawe-students
Despite the clear benefit to London of our relationships with Fanshawe and Western, municipal politicians take little time to engage with students themselves. It's time we tried something different.
There are roles for both students and municipal politicians and candidates to play in making that happen. Your role is simple. First — vote. Students are allowed to vote in both their home municipality and the municipality where they are attending school. You can vote in advance polls on campus on October 4, or in your neighbourhood on election day, October 22. Think about the issues that affect your life in this city. Is housing affordable? Does transit provide reliable access to the places you want to go? Are you happy with how this city addresses environmental issues?
Second — keep thinking about these things long after election day, and keep letting city officials know what you think. Contact your mayor and councillors directly when you have a concern, and encourage your student councils to do the same for issues that affect the whole community. You won't only be raising student concerns, you'll be making London better for everyone.
Now here's the city's job, including mine as a candidate for Ward 6 councillor — give the concerns of all London residents equal weight, whether they plan to spend four years here, or 40. That includes consulting with students on projects and issues that affect student neighbourhoods, as well as issues that affect younger and lower income residents of the city. It means checking in regularly with student leaders and building relationships with student councils and advocacy groups.
Let's give this a shot together, and work towards a London where everyone's voice is heard.
--
Mike Bloxam
Candidate for Ward 6 Councillor
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
It's that time again. There are signs on every corner, leaflets in your mailbox, and candidates are knocking on your door to share their ideas. And for many students, this may be the only time you hear from city politicians during your post-secondary education.
It's a vicious cycle. Students often have trouble seeing how a municipal election will affect them. That leads to low voter turnout. Candidates assume students don't vote and don't bother engaging them. The candidates who are elected continue this lack of engagement and students are left feeling (often correctly) that politicians don't care much about them. They don't vote the next time around, and the cycle continues.
Student issues are London issues. If you weren't in London in 2014, you may not have been aware that the brand new Fanshawe building in the former Kingsmill's department store on Dundas Street was a major election issue in the last municipal election. Candidates argued whether the city's investment in bringing a larger student presence to the core — inside an otherwise threatened heritage building — would be worthwhile. This week, we are hearing about how hundreds more students and faculty downtown are changing London businesses for the better https://lfpress.com/business/local-business/student-lounge-at-marienbad-woos-fanshawe-students
Despite the clear benefit to London of our relationships with Fanshawe and Western, municipal politicians take little time to engage with students themselves. It's time we tried something different.
There are roles for both students and municipal politicians and candidates to play in making that happen. Your role is simple. First — vote. Students are allowed to vote in both their home municipality and the municipality where they are attending school. You can vote in advance polls on campus on October 4, or in your neighbourhood on election day, October 22. Think about the issues that affect your life in this city. Is housing affordable? Does transit provide reliable access to the places you want to go? Are you happy with how this city addresses environmental issues?
Second — keep thinking about these things long after election day, and keep letting city officials know what you think. Contact your mayor and councillors directly when you have a concern, and encourage your student councils to do the same for issues that affect the whole community. You won't only be raising student concerns, you'll be making London better for everyone.
Now here's the city's job, including mine as a candidate for Ward 6 councillor — give the concerns of all London residents equal weight, whether they plan to spend four years here, or 40. That includes consulting with students on projects and issues that affect student neighbourhoods, as well as issues that affect younger and lower income residents of the city. It means checking in regularly with student leaders and building relationships with student councils and advocacy groups.
Let's give this a shot together, and work towards a London where everyone's voice is heard.
--
Mike Bloxam
Candidate for Ward 6 Councillor
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
