Wards 1,3,6 -Burlington

When I first started writing this blog, I did so with the intention of trying to engage friends and family (and perhaps others) to the point where the question was not 'will I vote', but 'who will I vote for'.

I aimed to have some part in seeing 1,000 more people vote this year in a municipal election, and through Facebook (some success), Twitter (still a rough one for getting the unengaged) and email (by far the best for someone like me with a decent sized network), I am almost certain I have reached this goal.  I have had more emails and conversations (usually at the arena) about politics this year than ever before.  People know I am interested, and that my wife Bryna is running herself.  The one question I get most (and have had many times this week) is 'I live in Ward x, who would you vote for?'.  Not who should they vote for, but who would I vote for.

I have combined these 3 wards into one blog post.  There are three days left in the election, and I dont want to make predictions about things I dont know enough about, in areas I havent spent a lot of time in during the election. These are the three wards I know the least about.

If someone asks me about Ward 1 - I would say Rick Craven.  A good friend of mine likes Dobson, and that is who she will vote for.  Others I have talked to say Mary Dilly knows a ton of people. When I watched the Cogeco spots, Saul Zemaitis was one of the best I saw.  I really liked the way he seemed to have about him, and I have a soft spot for folks who have led non-profits.  Although I dont know all the specific issues, I am certainly more engaged than the average person.  As an incumbent, Im not sure I have sensed enough anger or disillusion with Craven that would justify seeing a change there.

Ward 3 is an interesting one.  I have friends who like John Taylor, and some that have never heard of him.  That could be good or bad I suppose, but they usually smirk with embarassment when I tell them he has been their representative at City Hall for 20+ years. Lisa Cooper is someone I met briefly, but dont know  enough about  to comment too much on.  I know she has run a couple times before.  So, once again, we have a situation with an incumbent, which frankly is hard to deal with, especially if there isnt that one or two MAJOR issues that the marginally engaged also know about.  Unseating an incumbent requires a broader,grassroots  call for change, not just a call from those that are 'really into this stuff' , or those running against that incumbent.  I lead with all of this because I would really like to see someone like Cory Judson at City Hall.  He has worked hard.  I know that alone is not reason for change, but if 'reason for change' is in the residents minds, maybe Cory has been active enough to be the one.  Id like to see him be more 'specific' at times, but one can see he works with passion.  We have all been following Cory, and if he doesnt win, it wont be because he wasnt working hard.  If asked, I would recommend Cory to my friends and family in ward 3 for a fresh start with solid representation.

Ward 6 has been the quietest race in the city it seems, but there are a couple of 'names' involved in this one.  Firstly, lets assume Rob Herriott (who I met and really liked), and Phil Buck (pretty neat guy) are not really in the running as they are not launching full campaigns.  Christopher Mulhern, who is a solid young guy, a first-time candidate, and has a platform that is aimed at families may be one to watch if he is interested in doing this in the years ahead.  Im not sure he has been 'active' long enough to contend with two known 'names'.  This again is a case where I would be happy to be wrong, but I do think this race comes down to Blair Lancaster and Mark Carr.  I dont 'know' either.  Based on what I have seen, I would still likely want to vote for Mulhern, but if it was clear one of the other two were to win, I would choose Carr.  I have nothing against Blair Lancaster, but I have never been a fan of the party politic affiliations brought into municipal play, or  the taste that I get from a 'I just really want to get elected to something' candidate.  Carrs reasons for running are unclear (a job), but he is generally well known, has done this before, and seems motivated.  If asked, (which has happened for Ward 6 a lot this week) I would probably tell my friends to vote Carr.

Please remember - these are the opinions of a 'somewhat' engaged Burlingtonian - I dont know every little detail about every issue in each of the wards.  You can email me, debate, swear at me, tell me I am 'way off', but in the end, just express yourself through your vote!