Bowen Bulletin

“I have a dream”, no, already taken. “Yes we can”, “take heart”, something that includes “heart soars” would be good. Coming up with a new inspirational catch phrase to use in a political campaign is not easy. I don’t think that anybody running for council has even tried to come up with anything inspiring. But what if we had somebody who really tried to inspire the electorate, somebody who wanted us to rise above our mundane concerns and make us see our life on our little island in a broader perspective.

Such a candidate would probably give a speech something like this:

“I have a dream. I dream that one-day people will tell stories about Bowen Island, stories about citizens who put the good of their community above their own petty concerns. People who didn’t ask “what can council do for me?” but “what can I do for my island?”

Take heart, you can be a part of history. Yes you can. You can mark your ballot for a candidate that is going to work as hard as humanly possible to make your island a community that your children will be proud to call their birthplace.

We have a unique opportunity. We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and yet our good fortune humbles us. And humility is what we need to inspire us take our place as one of the inspirational communities of the new millennium.

But you didn’t come here today to listen to me prattling on about how good we have it here. You came to find out what I stand for and why I believe that I am worthy of your vote. I believe in you and I ask you to believe in me. We share a common bond, a love for our island that outsiders can’t begin to comprehend, a common purpose to preserve and protect our community, not for all of the people of British Columbia but for our children and the children that follow them.

We live in a community defined by the trust and love that we show for each other. We take it for granted but it is one of the rarest gifts on our planet. We don’t worry too much about a growing population eroding this community bond. We don’t worry because we have set in place policies that control the rate of growth on our island. Bowen Island nurtures its citizens. It teaches us to respect the land and those who share it with us. We know that the folly of choosing growth for growth’s sake has overtaken the metropolis on our doorstep and, if we follow their lead it will destroy us.

Our ferry defines us. Eighty-five cars arrive on our shores during a really busy hour. Mainland communities are serviced by with a road that can deliver 1,000 cars in any given hour. When you think this through you can start to appreciate that what defines us is not isolation, for we have ready access to a world-class city, but scale. On Bowen we look at everything that our mainland consultants tell us we should build and divide by ten. They have no concept of scale. They live in a world where any road can deliver 1,000 cars per hour. Our road delivers 85. Take heart.

Take heart because our elders know the ways of the world and how the world tries to suck us into the vortex of communities where people don’t know their neighbours, communities where the police warn that child molesters are moving in, communities that we all fled in the nick of time. Take heart.

We are the lucky ones. We do not survive, we thrive. We are the people who value community above convenience, trust above security and compassion above compensation. In a world where mainlanders would be screaming for a bigger ferry we know that isolation protects us. In a world where maximizing profits is a mantra, we know that working to live wins out over living to work. In a world where impressing the neighbours is important, we are impressed by the humility of our neighbours. Take heart.
Take heart because you live in a community of wise people. The people of Bowen Island will elect a council of flawed and very human candidates but they will be councillors that reflect the values of our citizens. We will elect the six of eleven candidates that most closely reflect our values and aspirations. If we value our very small and very caring community we will show that. If we want to abandon that ideal and join a world where bigger is better, our votes will show that also.

I ask you for your vote, not because I offer you escape from the world but because I offer you a world where small really is beautiful. I offer you a community where we really do reject the model of the urban suburb. I offer you a continuation of what you already have. We are 3,600 people, barely enough to fill a section of a large stadium. We are the escapees from metropolis. I ask for your vote because I understand your dreams and understanding them makes my heart soar.

I share your dream. I take heart from your conviction. You make my heart soar. Good night, God bless and strengthen us. Yes we can.”