Lacklustre campaign

Well, that was a bore. The municipal election campaigns are in the homestretch, and unless I missed it, there has been little to get excited about.

This will be the final weekend of campaigning in towns and cities across the province, and the door-knockers will be out in full force.

The candidates with money, especially in St. John’s, have spent a few bucks on advertising, but I’d bet it is not as much as in past elections.

Part of the reason is talk radio. With three openline-type shows on VOCM, those seeking office get some free time to spread their message. As long as they are willing to face the challenging questions of the hosts, it’s a great opportunity to put their platforms forward.

This newspaper has brought forward the candidates’ positions on issues, and allowed people seeking office to link their blogs online. Not everyone took advantage of it.

Of course, with so many people running in numerous municipalities, it is impossible to cover everything. The St. John’s Board of Trade has done an admirable job of drawing attention to issues in the metro area, not just for the capital city, but the region at large.

Its campaign at least gave voters some ideas to toss around.

There has been no shortage of campaign signs in metro. One reads, “The People’s Councillor,” another “Experience You Can Trust” and still another, “A New Voice.”

These are all quite good, but none of them really novel.

I did notice that more of the signs have posterlike pictures, and some are very well done. I wondered if airbrushing was at work, as years seem to have been taken off some incumbents’ faces; a few of the candidates’ pictures more resembled models, male and female, than the political workhorses I know.

I thought we’d see more party politics at work in the capital city election. It may have been in play behind the scenes but was less evident than I expected.

In Mount Pearl, we heard about a slate of candidates out to unseat the old council. A roving truck advertising the group encourages residents to “vote for change.”

Slates are not new in politics, especially at the municipal level. They make for some interesting news coverage, but rarely does the entire slate get elected. Unless they have really made a mess of things, incumbents have the advantage of connections, recognition and a record to stand on.

I did notice that more of the signs have poster-like pictures, and some are very well done. I wondered if airbrushing was at work, as years seem to have been taken off some incumbents’ faces.

Voting dilemmas

There have been a few hiccups. Several people in St. John’s told me they received multiple ballots in their mailboxes. You really can only vote once.

And at the advance poll where I live, in Paradise, the evening lineup was much too long. I saw several wouldbe voters leave because of the extended wait. It’s only a few votes you say? Remember last time in Paradise? One of those votes could make the difference.

And speaking of that, remember if you really, really, really want a particular candidate elected, only vote for them.

Seriously, you may be allowed to vote for five or six or however many in your town or city, but if you give all of your favourites a vote, or stick a tick next to a name just because you are allowed to, your preferred candidate may lose by the same stroke of the pencil.

Your vote for your fifth or sixth choice has the same weight as your tick for your favourite choice. Just because you can vote for six people doesn’t mean that you must, or necessarily that you should.

I’ve already voted and I’m glad I had a say in the way my town will be governed for the next four years. I’ll sleep better if my candidates get elected, but really won’t lose any sleep if they don’t.

All of those who put their names forward to serve their towns and cities are to be congratulated. They all want to make our communities a better place to live.

I started by saying it’s been boring. Boring, yes, but necessary, too. The rest is up to you and me.