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MPP says get out and vote Monday, November 13 is Municipal Election Day, the day you elect local government officials to manage municipal affairs, including your water, your garbage, your infrastructure, and your recreation facilities. It is important to let your voice be heard. Municipal elections traditionally have the lowest turnout of voters among the three primary levels of government. Yet the decisions made at local councils affect every day life significantly. The McGuinty Liberals have added a year to municipal terms of office. This time around municipal governments will be elected to a four-year term rather than the current three-year term. So your vote is even more important as your ability to review the performance of municipal politicians will occur less frequently. It is important that voters read election brochures issued by the candidates and follow the campaign in the newspaper in order to make their votes truly reflective of their own views. Voters should solicit the opinions of candidates on the big issues, such as infrastructure planning, the potential Halton-based garbage incinerator, and property tax levels. In addition to electing local councillors and mayors voters will choose school board officials. No matter what, Halton residents are in for a shake up. I'm not sure how it will change but new dynamics could create a new political reality in Halton. Certainly a longer municipal term and looming provincial and federal elections will have an effect as rumours of various retirements and new faces were con- Ted Chudleigh firmed on the September 29th deadline for registration. Already it is apparent Halton will have a new regional chair at the very least. Once voters have exercised their civic duty by casting their ballots those who have time may want to explore other ways to help make their community a better place by joining the vast array of volunteers who help keep our town and region running. My hope is two-fold. First, I hope that our participation rate as voters increases and second, that more people offer their time to their community. There are many local groups that really need help and many people in our community whose lives would be enriched by participating even in a small way. I know there are an army of people already out there, coaching kids teams, organizing community events and helping with seniors but those groups can always use a hand. So as you consider your municipal candidates consider the myriad of little actions which go into building our community and consider getting involved. Ted Chudleigh is the MPP for Halton riding