Civic Doody

While I sometimes see politics as both the price of democracy and the sometimes unpleasant but necessary by-product of civic interaction, I still draw some enjoyment from elections, especially municipal ones, with their smaller budgets, doorknocking candidates and lack of constant polls.


I am hoping that this year's Edmonton election draws out more voters than the dismal 27% that came out in 2007. (I also hope we can eventually find an issue to focus on besides the airport, but that's another story...) To that end, I have assembled some links with useful information as to where the new wards are, who the candidates are and what they are about.

The City of Edmonton site lists all the new ward maps (this is the first year voting for 1 councilor each in 12 wards as opposed to 2 each in 6), shows upcoming public forums, polling stations, etc. There is also a list of all the candidates and their contact info.

Wikipedia, while dubious for academic purposes, does serve as a decent accumulation point for certain information. The entry for this election is no exception, with a tidy list of candidates, wards, etc.

Connect2Edmonton is a forum by and for Edmontonians filled with both rants and raves about our city. You can see the issues being discussed and even join in the conversation if you register. In addition to collecting posts by many of the candidates, the site is also hosting a free election forum for all candidates.

Interesting tidbits from this election:

• Mayor Mandel faces his first serious opponent as an incumbent in Dave Dorward, who brings a lot of Envision Edmonton/ pro-Airport support.
• Dave Dorward's entry prompted Chateau Louis owner and Muni-backer Don Koziak to drop out and run against incumbent Kim Krushell.
• Edmonton Journal city hall columnist Scott McKeen is putting up by running for a seat in Ward 7 against the often combative, always sharply-dressed Tony Caterina.  This ward could be fun to watch.
• Sun columnist Kerry Diotte is also running, in Ward 11.
• A  candidate in Ward 4 has also started what he believes is the first Canadian Satanic church.
• No acclamations for council, but not a single ward has two incumbents battling it out for a single seat.  Convenient, no?

Please pass these links on to other Edmontonians and encourage them to check out their candidates and VOTE!