Local politician wants to put an end to ‘double-dipping’

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – You may not have to worry about municipal politicians trying to do double-duty after the next provincial election.

A councillor in Squamish wants to give you more accountable representation.

Patricia Heintzman is pushing to change the term for municipal politicians from three to four years to match those elected at the provincial and federal levels. That way, anyone who gets into the legislature can drop their municipal duties almost immediately to focus on their new gig.

This would also end ‘double-dipping,’ when politicians are paid by both city and provincial taxpayers.

Heintzman says you’d also see benefits at the local level.

“It’s really challenging in a three-year term to implement policy, enact policy, and have it get anywhere. You go from ‘newly-elected’ to ‘trying to get something done’ to ‘election year,’ when all sorts of things start to influence policy.”

But Heintzman admits it would mean going to the repeatedly going to the polls without much time in between, which some voters could get tired of going to the polls so soon .

“Having six months after each other, it might seem like a long election cycle. That’s something for debate and that’s certainly a valid point — I don’t know what the answer is there.”

The issue is one of dozens which will be debated at this month’s Union of BC Municipalities convention.

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