Electoral Impropriety?

News Item: Mike Hancock wins re-election as Mayor of Brantford, Ontario by a margin of 165 votes over challenging former mayor Chris Friel. A tight race, yes, but not as tight as last time. In the previous election in 2003, Hancock defeated the then-incumbent Friel by a mere 15 votes. Clearly, not much has changed in terms of who Brantford residents support. The difference? This time 150 more people voted for Hancock.

News Item: 150 people abducted in Baghdad. Four guards at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research were no match for the 80 armed abductors. Could they have been Mike Hancock supporters? Will there be an investigation? Think about it. 150 people go missing. Half a world away (only half a day away by plane), a politician wins by 150 more votes over the same challenger than in the previous election. Can it really be just coincidence? Will somebody at least check if there is an influx of Middle-East experts looking for academic postings today at the Brantford campuses of Laurier University and Mohawk College?

Other Ontario Municipal Election News:

- Faced with a three-way race that included the incumbent mayor and a former mayor, the residents of Waterloo did the only sensible thing. They voted for the one without the "valuable leadership experience".

- Hamilton voted out the Pillsbury Dough-Mayor (Larry DiIanni). In the end, it wasn't his lame policies, or the stunned look constantly on his face when interviewed. It was simply that his last name had too many vowels, not enough consonants. And, really, how can you take a city seriously when they have a Larry for mayor?

- Ottawa, on the other hand, voted for a Larry. Fortunately, what makes Ottawa most worth visiting is under the domain of the National Capital Commission, not city council.

Next Ontario municipal election update - four years from now.