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Our CampaignersBy Bill Rowsome
Simultaneous campaigns! What an opportunity to compare techniques and persuasive powers. The Big Boys out of Ottawa and Our Little Lads from North Frontenac are squaring off, not against each other, but in family, like a minor civil war.
On Tuesday night there was an All Candidates meeting in Cloyne and it was a full house. All local candidates attended. Reporter David will cover their presentations. I am interested in the behind-the-scene human aspect.
They were dressed from the latest fashion to just a tad better than the audience. Presentation is all-important, watch the Big Boys from Ottawa, they know how to spin an audience by dress and location. Disappointingly no one turned up at the hall in a wet suit straddling a screaming Sea Do.
Any old politician can make a point standing in front of the Sydney tar pit oozing its poisons into the Atlantic Ocean. Niagara Falls in the background certainly adds emphasis to a speech on the migration of Canadians even through the direction of travel was confused. Driving a fuel cell powered car that cost us 60 million bucks amply illustrates how generous the government has been with our money.
That is for The Big Boys, not for Our Little Lads. They stood naked on the stage, no, no, not entirely! That is not our life style here in the Highland. No fancy photo ops for them. We saw exactly what we are getting and heard exactly what they said unencumbered by expensive backdrops, blaring music and enlarged images on a big TV. They talked of dollars and mils, not billions and millions. They answered questions and criticisms personally, no packed audience of declared supporters for Our Lads. No loud claques and waving signs to distract us from their words. No playing to or working the audience here, afterwards few were able to get away unscathed.
The issues, get to the issues...that is what elections are supposed to be all about! Our local issues are basic needs, pointed out by a number of questions. Only The Big Boys can time an early election for their advantage, Our Lads have exactly three years to do their stuff. Surplus money cannot be converted to bribes around here. One unexpected ice storm can wipe out a complete township-operating budget over night. We have no left or right planks to shift around a platform depending upon the whims of a poll. We need those planks to build a fire station washroom to prevent contaminating the nearest pine tree.
The Big Boys are not even aware of our problems. We have more seniors than most areas of Canada; stubborn, independent seniors who want to live in their own homes. We have children who want to be driven miles to participate in activities that are only a short walk away in suburbia. We have acres and acres (not certain about these new hectare things) wanting to be freely used yet we have to protect and keep them clean. We have failing businesses, but that is common to all of Canada. Do we want industries in our pristine wilderness? Do we want to turn this land into another Muskoka? Do we want more retirees, who in time will become more dependent upon services? Do we want well meaning volunteers running things rather than elected officials? What do we want? Some were made known to the candidates on Tuesday night. Now it is up to us evaluate their ability to judge our needs (not necessarily our wants) and follow through with action. I hope they will publicly report progress before another three years are up. Be certain to mail your ballot by November 3rd. Wouldn't 100 percent return be unique!
