Today’s Poll

Xun Ke Lao blog: Breaking down the 2011 Nelson Municipal election

Xun Ke Lao
By Xun Ke Lao
November 2nd, 2011

Some thoughts on the coming municipal election:

Local election in Nelson – advance voting starting in five days, the main event in less than three weeks!

What we have here is a predominantly conservative public’s general lack of active interest in matters civic; and the smaller cool segment going downright frigid when it comes to challenging the incumbent city-hall establishment.

Council:

Only one councilor is leaving, meaning that one of the three candidates will fill the slot. So one would expect these three to do some serious strategizing — but I haven’t seen/heard/read anything of the kind so far.

As a voter I should not have to dig for info on candidates – it makes them seem inaccessible. If all three want to get in – two incumbents would have to go. Three or two new ones could be good: considering the new-ideas/issues-and-energy thing- even incumbents have been advocating (see post Nelson: Strings attached below).

They could hold onto each other and make some serious noise. Whatever – a perceived lack of new ideas/issues and energy does not bode well for the coming three-year term.

Of the incumbents – so far – only one has run a same-old-same-old ad (I saw) in the Star and put-up one sign (I saw).

Mayor:

The mayor wants to stay – and will; his two sort-of challengers – also in non-campaign mode – do not pose an actual challenge.

Definitely not with phoning it in from out of town or identifying with a former mayor who – even though producing results in some respects – was a racist extraordinaire. 

I have seen one predictable ad in the Star and two re-elect-me signs for the mayor – nothing from the other mayoral candidates.

There is a problem with the placement – as I see it – of one of the mayor’s signs. It is large – 4 feet x 4 feet – and placed on the right shoulder of the road (off Front St.) leading down to the city-hall parking-lot. It is also very close to Superior Lighting, and to those who don’t know: it could seem to be on this store’s property and an expression of its political alignment with the mayor.

Neither is the case. Great placement – everybody walking/driving down Front Street clearly sees it! It turns out: the sign is actually on city-property – Superior Lighting was not consulted before it was put-up.

Somewhere in election-laws – dealing with advertising of those running for office – it supposedly says: all manner of advertising using city-property by candidates is disallowed – except for signs.

And signs aren’t permitted within 100 m. of a polling station. So this sign is placed legally, but its ever so close proximity to City Hall and being on city-property may present the appearance that City Hall is totally behind re-electing the mayor. And – at the same time – that Superior Lighting is as well.

Although I do admire the cleverness behind this placement – ethically I feel a tad conflicted. Still – this may be as controversial as the coming election will ever get! Unless several incumbents using their nelson.ca e-mail addresses in their personal re-election efforts is/should become an issue!

  • Check out the complete blog at: http://nudgingthepredictable.blogspot.com/

Categories: Op/EdPolitics

Other News Stories

Opinion