September 21st is the first day of Fall, a time that represents change, slowing down, and an opportunity to savour the sunshine before the days become shorter.

On October 15th, the town of Smithers will hold its Municipal election for new council, mayor and School Board Trustee for SD54. There are nine people running for the six seats on council, two mayoral candidates (including current mayor Gladys Atrill), and three people running for school board trustee.

CICK News was supposed to set up a table at a local outdoor coffee shop deck to ask people what mattered to them in this upcoming election. That plan changed, and instead, we pounded the pavement and asked the community if they planned to vote. Most people agreed to speak, and so the following that you’re about to hear are some of the conversations we had on Main Street. We didn’t ask anyone to give me their name, age, or occupation. We simply wanted to know if they planned to vote and what topics they hope the upcoming council and mayor will take into action.

The answers we got ran the gamut of personal desire, values that people base their judgements on, as well as whether or not they thought their vote mattered.

You’re going to hear a multitude of voices, starting with an individual who is currently taking shelter at the camp on Veteran’s Park during their lunch, a Hazelton man who kindly answered Pam's questions as long as she didn’t make him late for his appointment, a mother who cares about the issues that affect her children, Rick Apperson who works with the community through the Salvation Army, business owners, and shop workers.

Stick around at the end of the community voices portion of this news segment for valuable information about where and when to vote from our Chief Elections Officer D Schroeter as well as Deputy Chief Elections Officer Kim Smith.