Candidates,Campaigns and Elections

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Listen to the Mocking Bird":




Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Invitation extended"

19:08....

Because he is allowed to run as a candidate in our country. Get off your
entitlement high hprse

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 16 June 2014 08:04

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"What does it say about the City that chose him"

What does it say? Did the people of London elect him 4 years ago knowing the past? What sort of vetting of candidates should be done to show that they are all upstanding people? I do not think it is fair for you to damn London because they elected a Mayor who turned out to be crooked. If that was the case, there are alot of cities in the same boat

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 16 June 2014 07:


The comments are in response to  separate posts.  I've tried to cut and paste before without success. This time I succeeded with a juxtaposition on headings. 
That's as good as it gets.

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I identify with the comment wondering why  Dorian Baxter is entitled to use the electoral process for his own purpose.It appears to have  met  his  ends . He keeps doing it.  Some  believe  he adds light
and colour to  an otherwise dreary proceeding. 

I think he degrades the process. 

Time was a municipal candidate had to be nominated and seconded  in a public meeting .  That was not a dreary process. 

Then requirement changed to a form signed by twelve citizens whose names appeared on the voters' list.  No meeting. No  speeches. No excitement generated. Now it;s reduced to a payment of $100. and an oath  swearing that you are who you say you are.

It can be done any time between January 1st and a date in September. 

Olivia Chow says elections are too long. 

There's no rule  requiring a person to sign up on  January 2nd.

You can say you're running. But you're not  an official candidate until you've signed up. The election  does not begin until the  final day of registration.

It's different for senior levels. Party politics is  the norm. Even though ,only the candidates name appears on the ballot and  a candidate can be independent.

A substantial deposit must be made and it will be lost unless a certain number of votes are cast for the candidate.

Joe Fontana was a federal Cabinet Minister before he  became Mayor of London.
The offence, of which he has been found guilty, happened when he was a federal member. .

He would have reason to keep  the secret. Challenging candidates had no such obligation,

Maybe he assumed  office by acclamation.  The story was in the media very early in the term.

London Council cast a vote asking him to resign.  He didn't.

By my calvinistic standards, Mayor Fontana must be suffering a deficit in common sense as well as integrity.

Yet I have the impression different cultures have different standards. In this culture, some believe that's what politics is about.

In multi-culturalism however,  who  really knows what the standards are.

Being privileged  means  having authority to do things you can't do  without  "the powa"

Codes of Conduct says it means higher standards are expected.

But  votes  are cast one at a time. with as many reasons as voters.

Like growing old....one day at a time.  They pile up though every  day you feel pretty much the way you did the day before.

 I think we can be sure the people of London are not collectively proud of their  Chief Magistrate.

There are likely those however who think......I'd like to get me some of that. 


Whether or not Joe Fontana could be re-elected  would depend on One, the obvious impediment of whether or not he is in jail,  and  Two,who  might challenge him for the job.

The only certainty in an  an election is that somebody will get elected.

The  night of the provincial election, on Steve Paikin program on TVO,  Dwight Duncan a former Liberal finance minister  was very sombre.

He  sounded  a warning;  " whoever gets  elected" he said "this Province  faces serious financial problems "

He's right and we know what caused them.

Cronyism and elitism.

We are promised...more of the same.