I only heard later about the buttons that our Mayor, Jack Adelaar, was handing out at this year’s Bowfest. The slogan, “We are all Bowen Islanders,” it stuck in my head immediately. I’ve been thinking about it for months now, and with that in mind, thinking about Jack and how to write about him.
I feel I’m a little late on this; Jack Adelaar will never read what I write about him. Sometimes I hesitate, its hard to get these things right.
While some say our last election was all about the National Park, I’d say it was more about picking sides. And Jack was on one of those “sides.” While he sat in the mayor’s chair, changing that, or changing the perception of that, did not seem to be one of his priorities. He wanted to get on with the job of making things happen on Bowen Island.
As the editor of The Undercurrent, I spent close to a year listening to Jack in council, over the phone, and in my office. I can comfortably say that our worldviews were pretty well polar opposites, but I’m pretty sure that was just fine for both of us. Occasionally, I’d write something and he’d tell me he’d hoped for a different headline, or he wished I didn’t cover the story at all. He understood, though, that my job was not to please him but rather to communicate the local news in the most honest and fair way I could.
All of this is just a round about way of saying that while I did not know Jack well, I liked the guy, and I liked him a whole lot more than I expected to.
I believe that when Jack handed out those buttons at Bowfest, he meant what he said. He wanted other people to wear that slogan on their shirts and mean it too.
If I have one hope for the outcome of this election, it is that whoever ends up in the mayor’s chair sees it this way too – and prioritizes the uniting of this community. Of course, all the candidates say they are putting “respectful dialogue” in their platforms. But what does this mean, really? Well, for a start, I think it means apologizing for past wrongs and owning up to past mistakes. While newcomers to council will have less to apologize for, they can start out right by acknowledging that a no “side” can claim the hero’s status on this island.
My second hope is that, regardless of who wins, the many engaged and active citizens on this island will also set aside any sense of partisanship and work hard with the new council - whoever they may be - to build a better island. How so? They can keep holding our elected officials to account, even if they happen to be friends; and they can make compromises for the greater good.
There, I’ve had my say.
Jack Adelaar, thank you for giving your very best to Bowen Island, and thank you for showing up - until the very end.
We are all Bowen Islanders.
