ORIGINALLY POSTED Friday, February 9, 2007
I tend not to waste time analysing the results of an election. What is … is - There is no point to belabour. One is either in or out. Of course, that's my head talking. What I feel in my gut is not so pragmatic.
Last night,Thursday, there was a tribute to former Mayor Tim Jones at DiNardo's Mansion. It was SPECTACULAR! $10,000 was raised for the Cancer Centre at South Lake Health Centre.
The house was sold out. The program was terriific .But I couldn't help wondering with so many enthusiastic friends and supporters how did he lose the election?
Of course everybody knows the campaign was three years long. It started the day of the previous election. The cruellest cut of all came within weeks of November 13th. .. from Dick Illingworth. This is not to say it caused Tim to lose. Dick's chosen candidate did not do well at all.
Richard enjoys tremendous respect in the community. He has been the Mayor. He knows the challenges and he has become the town guru. He wrote a column about the failure of many new small businesses.
When a person opens a business it may be the biggest gamble they will ever undertake. It may be because of a lost job at a time in their lives when it seems they might never find another. 
They may be investing a severance package or mortgaging their home. It is about hope and courage and not a little fear. Every resource they have, financial and personal, may be riding on the success of this new venture.
It may just be a dream they've had forever.
Whatever the reason, nothing is more significant than the grand opening.
They look for ways to make it special. They invite everyone, have opening specials, refreshments, favours for children... maybe a hot air balloon ride. Money is spent on advertising and they invite the press. Fun and games are the order of the day. 
But the ceremony is provided by the Mayor. When the ribbon is cut or the first shovel of dirt is lifted the die is cast.
It's always easy for yahoos to jeer and sneer. The reality is, people everywhere have an intuitive regard for the person who holds the highest office in the community.
On the other hand, to be the Mayor, is to want to be what people think you are. It is to be everywhere they want you to be. If it means trying to be in two places at the same time, that's what you strive to do.
At a small business opening, it is to send up a little prayer that everything hoped for will be, because the sad fact is 50% of all small businesses fail.
Being Mayor means people take you into their lives. You become part of their hopes and dreams,... their celebrations ... and sometimes their grief.
When they don't want you any more that becomes part of having been the Mayor.
The headline in the Auroran struck hard. I was not the candidate but I felt the blow.
"The Mayor is a Jinx" declared the title of the column by former Mayor Richard Illingworth.
He has reason to know better than that.
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