It's been a year like no other. Festivals cancelled, sport called off, students learning from home rather than classrooms, pubs and restaurants closed.
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Will council elections be added to the cancelled list as well?
Central Victorian have just six weeks left until they enter caretaker periods ahead of October's elections.
But with stage three restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus in place across regional Victoria and stage four restrictions applying to metropolitan Melbourne, Premier Daniels Andrews is under pressure to delay the elections.
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Those who want the elections to go ahead argue they can because they are conducted via postal ballots and that's about as safe as you can get during a pandemic. They also argue it's important democratic rights are maintained and sitting councillors have already served four years and if they want to step aside, they should be allowed to.
But the Municipal Association of Victoria wants polls deferred, claiming the ongoing pandemic has impacted the ability for candidates to campaign and consult with their communities on vital issues.
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The state government has previously rejected calls to defer elections but with Mr Andrews refusing to rule out further restrictions in coming days or weeks, the government is running out of time to make the call.
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What if prospective candidates are put off by the disadvantage or possible health concerns? What if all existing councillors are returned because fresh candidates couldn't press the flesh?
We need competition, we need as many strong candidates as we can find across our region, because more than ever, we need strong, decisive leadership and people willing and able to unite in the community's best interests.
