With just one week to go before the nomination deadline closes for November's municipal election, I'm slightly concerned. Not because I have anything against anyone who has who stepped forward to run. All are worthy of admiration, having found within themselves the courage to step into the spotlight and strut their stuff on the stage of local politics, chancing public defeat in their determination to put their personal vision for the community into action.
The root cause of my concern is that only two of the 14 declared candidates for council are women, while nary a person of the female persuasion seems to have her eye set on the mayoral hot seat.
For a town of more than 17,000 in which roughly half the population base carries two X chromosomes, this is really surprising.
Maybe Squamish women already have their hands full and can't imagine sacrificing an additional 20 hours a week of their precious time. The women's centre, the homeless shelter, family and community services, local environmental groups, and a large number of high-profile and locally based businesses are but a few examples of local organizations that already see women in leadership roles.
A lack of role models can't be the answer. Current Coun. Corinne Lonsdale has been a popular choice for Squamish residents for more than 25 years - her long and impressive stint as a municipal politician even includes nine years as mayor, while Coun. Patricia Heintzman has been elected for two terms now, and is vying for a third.
But at present, Heintzman is joined only by Susan Chapelle in the race to lead the town through uncharted waters for the next three years. Which means, gender-wise, that 50 per cent of the town's population is represented by just 14 per cent of the field - when the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is aiming for a minimum of 30 with its "Getting to 30%" project.
According to the FCM website, "the United Nations defines 30 per cent as the minimal percentage of women required for government to reflect women's concerns."
If both Heitzman and Chapelle are elected, Squamish makes the cut. Two women on a council of six will put our municipal government on par with the gender standard set by the U.N.
But considering the population breakdown of our district, it would be even more beneficial for Squamish if more women decided to put their names forward by the deadline of Oct. 14 at 4 p.m.
And it's easy. If you have any inkling that you may like to be one of the seven sitting on the decision-making board for this town, find two girlfriends to support you, swing by Muni Hall, and pick up your nomination package.
If Squamish truly wants to re-invent itself as a dream destination, let's look to other examples of leadership in towns that have excelled in this and achieved international acclaim. Tofino's current council is comprised of three women. The Town of Banff has a woman as its mayor with two women on council. Not a single woman made it onto Whistler's most recent council, which has churned out some incredibly unpopular decisions over the past few years, one of which has even adversely affected our own community (can you say commuter bus?).
The two FCM-hosted training workshops for women held over the summer months in Squamish and Whistler were well attended. With any luck, and with enough participation, the number of women on the District of Squamish council will not only stay at two, but jump to three.
