By now we hope everyone is aware there is a municipal election this fall. And if the news is any indication of how the public is feeling, the election couldn’t come at a better time.
As nominations for October’s election are set to close Sept. 10, there appears to be unrest from many voters in the Times-Advocate’s coverage area.

This is where an election can come in handy — if you are unhappy with the way your municipality is being run, you now have the chance to do something about it by voting in this fall’s election. You don’t like your mayor or councillors? Replace them.

Or run for council yourself. There is still time to file your papers and there are several newcomers running for the various municipalities in the T-A’s coverage area.

The aforementioned unrest seems to be most prevalent in Bluewater, where a group called the Concerned Citizens of Bluewater has formed to voice the questions, concerns, complaints and problems they have with their municipal government. Several letters to the editor have been printed in the T-A from unhappy Bluewater residents who are dissatisfied with what is going on in their municipality.

In Lambton Shores a group called the Citizens for Good Governance has been formed and they too held a meeting last week and are looking for transparency, sound development and fiscal responsibility.

And while in South Huron no formal group has been formed, there is much concern in Exeter that the Exeter Diversion Drain project — which has once again been appealed — will miss the required completion date of March 31, 2011 in order to receive its nearly $1 million federal-provincial grant. Without the grant the $1.5 million project is in jeopardy and the municipality awaits a date for the appeal to go to the Ontario Drainage Tribunal.

Although most people aren’t necessarily blaming the municipality for the appeal, there is definite frustration that South Huron has been unable to get this project done and it has once again been delayed by an appeal.

For these reasons and many more, this fall’s election comes at a good time in many municipalities.

In Lucan Biddulph, however, there doesn’t appear to be much interest in the election — if things don’t change before nominations close Sept. 10, most positions on Lucan Biddulph council will be filled by acclamation, including the mayor’s, with Paul Hodgins the only person seeking the top spot right now. This needs to change — come on, Lucan Biddulphers, get involved.