Now what?

The municipal election is now over.

Hopefully, you voted, because our municipal councils determine a great deal in our daily lives, second only to the provincial government that oversees the big-ticket items that our taxes fund—like health care, post-secondary education, much of our court system and provincial policing.

By now, we all know the winners and losers in our neck of the woods. Both deserve our respect because it takes more than a modicum of courage (and personal expense) to throw your name into the mix, knock on doors, attend all-candidates meetings, and then wait to see what the bosses say.

The bosses, of course, are us. Those who were elected on Monday are public servants. They serve us—the public.

So, what now?

Too often what happens is nothing.

If you were paying attention in the lead-up to the election, you know what promises were made, and it is up to you to ensure those promises are kept.

Attend their meetings, take notes, pose questions when the opportunity arises, and write letters to the editor of this newspaper to voice your opinion and take your elected representatives to task.

Their job has just begun, and the most important responsibility in their mandate is the proper and due-diligent handling of our property-tax dollars.

Infrastructure does not come cheaply. If they let our roads go to pot, they must tell us why. If our landfills are being mismanaged, the question again is why.

If our property taxes go up—which always seems to be the case—and our municipal services continue to noticeably diminish, what is their explanation?

By and large, municipal politicians do not make a cart-load of money, but they cannot use that as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities.

They signed up for the job and, if they didn't know what it entails and the hours they would have to spend, then it is no one's fault but their own.

Don't let them get away with it.

Don't give any of them an easy four years unless they live up to their commitments.

Remember they work for you.