Halls of power

If you’re judging by launch crowds, Lyn Hall has the edge in the mayor’s race.

He drew a slightly bigger crowd for his mayoral announcement than competition Don Zurowski. However, both did well – Hall had about 100 while Zurowski drew about 75.

The crowds, however, were different. Zurowski’s crowd could most easily be described as the business community.

The crowd out to see Hall’s announcement was a little more diverse. Lots of school district folks who worked with Hall when he was school board chair, like former trustee Lois Boone and current superintendent Brian Pepper. Former trustee Michelle Marrelli is his campaign manager.

There was union representation. The Steelworkers had a presence there as did the city’s CUPE local, which went through a bitter dispute with the city earlier this year.

There was a strong Indo-Canadian prescence at Hall’s gathering as well.

And, dare I say, there were a few people (other than media, of course) who were at both Hall’s and Zurowski’s announcement. Hedging their bets? Or just seeking information? Hmmm?

So what sets the two candidates apart?

Both highlighted dealing with the city’s aging infrastructure as a top priority. So there probably isn’t much of a distinction between the two there. It’s a gargantuan task and it’s one that, I hope, should be a priority for the next council.

Hall said he will focus on leadership at city hall and getting council to work as a team.

For some of us, we’ve heard this tune before. It was a cornerstone of Mayor Shari Green’s campaign. The previous council had become dsyfunctional and Green pointed her finger at Mayor Dan Rogers as the problem and herself as the solution.

Back then, however, Green and cohort Coun. Cameron Stolz were doing their darnest to make sure council became dsyfunctional. Create the problem and then offer yourself as the solution. Crafty. And it worked.

The difference this time around, though, Hall isn’t leading a charge behind the scenes to make the current council dysfuctional (and the atmosphere at the council table, while not rosy, is nowhere near as acrimonious as the final few months of Rogers’ term).

There is, however, a definite split on council and, most of the time, it doesn’t favour Green.

As for Hall and Zurowski, the race is on. And who knows who else will run. It could be an interesting fall.