So! It's all over. Or for some, it's just starting. I wish all the successful candidates a fulfilling term of office.
First, an accolade to ALL the candidates who had the guts and cared enough to run. You are all special, whether you won or not. I hope that if you didn't come out #1 this time around, that will only encourage you to persevere and run again next time, based on the experience you now have.
It was my privilege to talk to many of you in connection with this web site. In every case I found the candidates I spoke with were worthy citizens driven by a desire to serve the community, and with the confidence that they could make a difference. These are great qualities of character.
I did some canvassing: door knocking and distribution of election materials, plus working on this web site. It's eductional to knock on your neighbours' doors, and sometimes dangerous. The majority of people are great to meet and are generally concerned to do what they can to influence their lives for the better.
Trouble is there is also a small minority who view anyone who comes to their door as an intruder, and who don't hesitate to be unwelcoming (understated). Some canvassers had doors slammed in their faces. I still do the job because the nice people you meet amply make up for the yobs. Maybe this message will be read by someone deep in their basement who feels that a call by a candidate or canvasser is an imposition. You probably couldn't be bothered to vote. But you'd be the first to complain if the city decides on a course that you don't agree with. I feel really sorry for you, because you must have an unhappy life.
The second group I have a problem with are the ones who vandalize signs, steal blocks of fliers from mailboxes (happened twice to people I was working with), and generally fight dirty. We are looking for ethical politicians and ethical campaigners. To win an election by foul means tags such individuals as a foul people. And there's a fair number lurking in this fair city. OK. I got that off my chest.
ps: one local candidate stated publicly that they'd had 5000 hits on their website in a week. Apart from being a complete guess, and probably a huge overestimate, that particular website had no counter. But it's OK, the candidate didn't get in. It's all a question of trust, deciding who to vote for, and on a personal level.