Does the candidate with the most community endorsements win?
If so, incumbent mayor John Dooley and council hopeful Paula Kiss have the upper hand in the Nelson council race, based on an analysis of campaign literature.
A brochure given out at this week’s all-candidates forums included testimonials for Dooley from Rossland mayor Greg Granstrom, Nakusp mayor Karen Hamling, Coquitlam city councillor Barrie Lynch, Vancouver councillor Raymond Louie, past Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation chair Roger Higgins, David Hernandez of Enso Hair Design, Nelson Public Library board member Cathy Heyland, Kerry Reed of Reel Adventures Fishing Charters, Zelda Morrison and family, and Carol Markowsky, Interior Health’s former chief operating officer for Kootenay Boundary.
Council candidate Paula Kiss’s brochure, mailed to households this week, contained 13 endorsements, including outgoing councillor Kim Charlesworth, former councillor Gord McAdams, local economist Mike Stolte, BC Seniors Games co-chair Bill Reid, West Kootenay EcoSociety executive director David Reid, former Nelson CARES Society executive director Rona Park, and a variety of prominent business names such as Vince Hempsall, Russell Precious, Thomas Loh, Bradley Roulston, Dave Johnson, Trevor Giles, and Victor Commandeur.
On her brochure, council candidate Candace Batycki receives the thumbs up from Nicola Harwood of the Oxygen Art Centre and Jon Steinman, host of Kootenay Co-op Radio’s Deconstructing Dinner.
On his handout, incumbent councillor Robin Cherbo quotes Finley’s proprietor Tanya Finley, local pilot Case Grypma, retired physician Dr. John Mackay, and Joan Reichardt of the Seniors Co-ordinating Society.
And on her leaflet, fellow incumbent Donna Macdonald has the recommendation of present councillor Kim Charlesworth, Cultural Development Commission chair Stephanie Fischer, and financial planner Bruce Morrison.
Incumbents Deb Kozak, Bob Adams, and Marg Stacey didn’t include specific endorsements on their pamphlets, nor did incumbent regional district candidates Ramona Faust or Ron Mickel.
If other local candidates distributed campaign materials, they didn’t make it to our hands.