Rhino's Ramblings - New People On The Block

By Robert Thomas - Opinion\Commentary

This is the time in my life when I seem to get asked lots of questions and that means one thing it is Civic election time once more.

And this time around I am getting the same two questions everytime I head out for coffee - who are these new people and are they any good?

I am shocked to tell you that other than a couple of new faces running for Council I don’t know any of them.

Some people might think that is a bad thing but in many other ways it can only be described as refreshing.

Refreshing because of the new ideas these seemingly unknown candidates bring to the election but also refreshing in that up to a month ago people were worried we were not going to have enough candidates let alone an election.

So with that said it is also an election where those who just entered the political ring also have the best chance in a long time to win a Council seat.

With three incumbents stepping aside - Councillors Brian Swanson, Scott McMann and Chris Warren - the shock factor of so many new faces has a lot of people asking who to vote for.

It is what I heard as I went from the house to coffee, then to the condo, then for coffee and back to the house, then for coffee to finally settle in at the condo with the ever faithful Katie the Wondercat hogging the bed.

The conversation is one of a lot of unknowns with those on coffee row curious as to who to vote for. An glimpse of who is good or who might be a great Council member is what the public is yearning for.

It has been a common theme now for months in Moose Jaw.

Where a good portion of the electorate want a clean slate. But now that the opportunity is there for new beginnings the voters are not only lost as to who to vote for out of the newcomers they are also lost without their incumbents there to protect them from the unknown.

There is even a growing anybody but “insert an incumbent’s name here” movement out there at the moment. It is a time just ripe for the picking for outside challengers but it seems they are having a hard time gettting going.

Doorknocking is out this year for many candidates as people do not what to open the door due to the COVID - 19 restrictions.

It may well be the election year where the newspaper shows its true might. The things you heard about the demise of the usefulness of the paper are about to be dispatched to the abyss due to COVID - 19.

Sure there will be a lot of on-line campaigning but in Moose Jaw we still have a lot of people who do not use social media or who have left it in at least a partial way if not entirely. Believe it or not the interconnected world is not all it is cracked up to be.

But that leaves me with what sort of advice do you give to candidates?

The best advice I can give to you is do your best to be accessible.

Use the media to help spread your message.

Don’t wait for the media to call - call or at least write to them and let the media know you are looking for a story. You are going to get at least one story so be ready for it.

The biggest question I am being asked and that is is there going to be a forum?

Well up unitl a couple of days ago the answer I would have told you is no. But with that said I am hearing a rumour there may very well be an on-line forum of some sort coming up.

If there is a forum be prepared and above all show up.

I know it is a big step for a lot of people but just be yourself as in the end that is what you are really selling here.

And as for my friends at coffee I will tell them to read all they can about you and then make their best informed decision.

With that all I can say is “Good Luck”.