A desire to contribute and a willingness to step up. Those are the key traits that politically active teachers say are crucial to their involvement in politics, whether it be behind the scenes or as election candidates.
With a provincial election looming in May, the ATA News spoke to four teachers who’ve experienced politics as a candidate or as volunteers behind the scenes. Here are their stories.
Ariana Mancini
Fort McMurray Local No. 48
Ariana Mancini is a Fort McMurray teacher who ran for MLA in the 2015 election and again in a 2022 byelection.
Although she had no prior experience in politics, Mancini was motivated to run in 2015 because, in the lead-up to the election, she felt that public education and health care weren’t getting the attention or respect they deserved.
“I decided to run in order to talk about public services that I think are important and to have those views represented in the election,” she says.
Running under the NDP banner, she knew that she was a long-shot to win in the strongly conservative riding, but she earned 31 per cent of the vote, finishing second to Brian Jean of the Wildrose Party, who garnered 44 per cent support.
“Far too often we think someone smarter, someone more poised, someone more respected in the community is going to come along and talk about the things that we want to talk about,” she says. “If I learned anything it’s that you are the right person for the job.”
Mancini ran again in a 2022 byelection, this time placing a distance second to Jean. During that campaign, she sensed that residents were more rooted in their views and less open to hearing other perspectives and discussing ideas.
“The first time that I ran, I found that there was more willingness among people to listen to what you had to say before forming an opinion, to listen to your take on a certain issue,” she says. “I feel that, now, just the name of the party tells people everything they need to know before they actually get to know what that party’s platform is and who their candidate is.”
Based on her experience, she encourages anyone with an interest to get involved.
“If you have that little voice inside of you saying you should do something, you should definitely listen to it.”
Neil Korotash
Greater St. Albert Catholic Teachers’ Local No. 23
Neil Korotash was first elected to St. Albert city council when he was a 19-year-old university student. He was motivated to run after having some exposure to the machinations of city hall through the city’s youth council and other agencies.
“I thought I had something of value to offer...that I could probably bring something a little different to the table,” he says.
His two terms spanned the completion of his education degree and his first few years as a beginning teacher with Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools.
“It was just so rewarding to be able to contribute to the community that I’ve lived in my whole life,” he says.
Throughout the decades that have since passed, Korotash continued to be involved in politics in his community by door knocking for candidates, helping with campaigns, seeking donations, recruiting volunteers and delivering brochures.
He ran for the PC nomination in preparation for the 2015 provincial election and was the Alberta Party candidate in 2019. He’s also served as president of a local constituency association.
“I like to be involved and stay in touch,” he says.
Korotash says that his days of running for office are behind him, but it’s just his nature to engage in political debate, which he does online.
“I think it’s an important part of a functioning democracy that you’re able to debate ideas and have conversations and those conversations, in large part, take place online these days,” he says. “If we can’t have conversations and share our perspectives, then what kind of democracy are we living in?”
With politics becoming more polarized and vitriolic, especially at the provincial and federal levels, Korotash says he’s not sure how to encourage more involvement from teachers or other civic-minded citizens.
“I wish I knew because those are the people we need,” he says. “We need people that are moderate, level-headed and not just looking out for their team, but for the community.”
Michael Robertson
Three Drums of Wheat Local No. 20
For Michael Robertson, political engagement is simply a way of life. When he was growing up, the expectation in his household was that adults were able to discuss difficult issues like politics and world affairs while maintaining a sense of humour about it.
Robertson says he thrives on political discussion, exchanging ideas and even disagreement. He’s been involved behind the scenes with various parties and in various capacities throughout his adult life, most recently as VP of policy for his local UCP constituency association.
“I’ve always felt a pressing need to make a difference in the world, an actual difference that affects actual people,” he says. “Too many people in our country and our province complain about the situation that we’re in and then do nothing about it.”
While the theatrical side of politics can be demoralizing, Robertson sees promise in the way politics happens when the cameras are off.
“So many people who do politics are partisan ... but when you get them in a room behind closed doors, they will admit that things are much more nuanced, much more complicated and that’s where the real work is done. That’s where the real people are and opponents can come together and work through their problems if they see each other as human beings.”
While modern-day politics are associated with polarization and partisanship, Robertson senses that people themselves are not that divided.
“Most of us don’t disagree as much as we think we do. We think we’re super polarized but that’s just political parties manipulating us for votes,” he says.
He understands why some people are turned off by political theatre but suggests that local involvement is the key to making a difference.
“The only way for us to have a truly democratic society ... is for us to be involved as much as we are able,” he says. “More important than being ‘politically involved,’ as people envision it, is being locally involved ... helping people to make their lives better, because when you do that, you make the world a better place. If all of us did that all the time, there would be very few problems and we could probably resolve them quickly.”
Kari Whan
Northern Lights Local No. 15
Kari Whan is a Cold Lake teacher who ran for the NDP in the 2019 election because no one was talking about the issues she felt were most important.
“Rather than just listening to what was going on, I really felt a need to ensure that things like health care, education, support for vulnerable people were really a priority for government,” she said. “I’ve always been very vocal about my opinions and where I stand politically.”
She kept her teaching job rather than take a leave in order to run for MLA. With few volunteers besides her husband, setting up a constituency, attending events and knocking on doors was like a second full-time job, consuming every evening and weekend.
“It was a lot of fun to meet different people in the community, talk to some of the things I thought were concerns, listen to what their concerns were,” she said.
Flying the NDP banner in a UCP stronghold had its moments. She received death threats, people walking by her home and yelling at her, and someone posted a nasty video that warranted a call to police.
“There was a lot of negativity involved ... but there was also a lot of support. A lot of people came out of the woodwork,” she says. “There were also a lot of people that I wouldn’t have guessed thought the same way that I do.”
The best part of her experience was connecting with people and talking about issues.
“Just engaging with people was the most pleasurable time,” she says.
Her advice to anyone who’s considering getting involved either as a candidate or as a volunteer is to go for it.
“I would definitely encourage anyone who’s interested.”
ATA News Managing Editor
