Rhino's Ramblings: Who is Running in the Byelection

Robert Thomas

With the resignation of Councillor Don Mitchell, the big question I've been hearing around town concerns who is going to run to replace him?

Although it might sound like an innocuous question; it is in fact one of the most loaded questions I've been hearing as I make my way about town.

For me, what I'm actually hearing is not always curiosity but rather potential candidates or their friends trying to determine who might be running. It's all about being non-committal in all of this.
The real question these people should be asking is "do you know anyone out there who can beat me?" or "Do you think I've got the best chance of winning?"

So far, I can tell you I have heard four names; three for sure are running and one is a strong maybe. I'm not going to be revealing names so as not to discourage potential candidates by dropping big names but really they aren't all that big.

With that said, I can tell you one thing and that is that with a half-decent campaign any of the three people who I know are running for sure can be beaten.

If you are thinking about running, now is the time to get out there and get your name known. It's a little known thing when it comes to civic politics name recognition is the key to winning. You can be weak in policy but if your name is out there and people know who you are your chances of winning improve markedly.

Now here is the key thing about any byelection, winning is highly possible if the other candidates are likely to attract the same voters. For you see on byelections voter turnout is usually not that high and if the vote splits the right way you're in.

I actually explained it all to a distant cousin of mine who is trifling on the issue.

If the vote is split properly and you come from a large family you might have a big opportunity of winning. He's unlikely to make a run but when he thinks about having 17 great aunts and uncles plus their extended families kicking around, a good 150 votes makes a great base. You just have to get out and start door-knocking and raise your profile.

There is even a way you can legitimately raise your odds of winning in the final election stretch that's already been done elsewhere. I'm not going to tell you how but yup it's available. It's a nifty little election hint which could easily garner you some additional votes with the electronic voting system.

If a campaign is run properly in a byelection, with no real issues, there is unlikely to be a large turnout. And right now, as it stands, the chance of a major issue coming forward is not the greatest.

There seems to be no lightning rod event which could rile up the masses but that could all change. But with no special question or questions on the ballot it looks like a sleeper. Right now it's all name recognition and stamina.

And here is even a little tip for those of you who actually run; if you know how to read the polls you can even tell afterwards, to a high likelihood, if people who said they'd vote for you even went out and actually voted for you. Low byelection numbers and multiple polls makes this possible.

So with that said, now is the time to get out there and be noticed. During the Summer months people don't like to be bothered but with that said get ready to start door knocking come September and get your name out there.

The more times your name gets mentioned the better chance you've got to being successful.
When you go door-knocking the best way of doing it is to simply approach people and say that you are there to listen to their concerns and do your best to represent them.

Take notes, even if only mental ones, to ensure you understand the concerns you are going to hear.

One thing you are going to have to know is what the core issues are and how you will handle them if elected. You have to give the voters some indication that you know something about the issues and have some sort of an idea on how to resolve it.

If you don't know, just be honest and tell the voter you are unfamiliar with the issue but will get back to them on it. And make sure you do just that.

Key neighbourhoods expect you on their doorsteps with a flier and the older areas of South Hill demand this.

If you want to "cheat" you can even start buying ads now as they won't show up on the expense account you need to file after the election.

But also understand summer ads for elections don't always get much attention; people are busy at the lake and not necessarily thinking about local politics. If the sky is the limit and you don't care how much you spend to get yourself elected then it's time to throw the coffee parties but bring your barbecue. It's legal but will cost you a fortune.

Someone asked me if I was running and I said "nope, sorry I'm not interested". I already have myself lined up tentatively with a fairly good paying political gig in Spring 2019. And if I don't get home and show up for that one Olya might do some unmentionable things to me. Let's just leave it at that.

As far as the byelection goes, we at MJ Independent are in the infancy stages of working on something which, if we can pull it off, might well help keep more of you informed in a manner you never expected. Who knows, Byelection 2018 might very well be our finest hour.

With that said, at the present time is there a lot of interest in civic politics? Nope; it's summer and people use their time accordingly.

As you decide if you are going to take the great plunge and run for City Council remember, it's a lot of work and it's time consuming if you happen to win.

Good luck and enjoy getting a suntan.