Thank You!

Well its been a helluva ride and to be honest, I'm glad its over....

First of all I'd like to Thank ALL my supporters for their encouragement and support. Without you it would not have been possible. At times things seemed to get rather daunting, but your unwavering dedication kept me going.

Other than my friend Chris McArdle that was a great help with doing my signs, and Dave Nash (Friend and "Sign Guy" for Mike Scudder, who also ran an honourable campaign) that would pop back some of my signs that were knocked down, it was a "One man Campaign!" Thanx Chris and Dave!

A HUGE THANK YOU to my family, that have been in my corner all the way! Especially my wife Susan for humouring me with this election bid and letting me spend the money and time doing so. Luv ya babe! Now I must resume some normalcy in my day to day life! I need to get my nose back to the grindstone and make some money to pay for our upcoming Mexico trip! ☺

Finally THANK YOU to the past members of Council that are now "Done serving their current sentences;" Mayor James Atebe, Councillor Terry Gidda, Councillor Paul Horn, Councillor Danny Plecas, Councillor Mike Scudder and Councillor Heather Stewart. You ALL have done this city a proud service.

What Did I Learn?

I've learned that it takes more than yourself with a small limited budget to be elected. It seems that one must be part of a "Bigger Political Machine."

I've learned that it appears to help if you pollute the landscape with endless reams of paper and signs to get your message out. You CANNOT try to be green by simply using on-line methods and word of mouth. "Social Media" may help, but it's not there yet. Note the word "Yet!"

I've learned that the public WILL believe what they read in "Tabloids!"

I've learned that past community involvement means little when it comes to being elected. Caring for, and showing that you really care for the community is irrelevant.

I've learned that no matter how much more money and time I'd spent, I still would not have been elected this time around. Unless I was part of the CRMG team.

Finally, I've learned that perhaps I'm too honest to be a successful politician?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to ALL the candidates for taking the time to put your names forward. I can deeply appreciate the commitment even more now. It is not something to be taken lightly. Unless you've been through it, you can't begin to realise the toll it takes.

Congratulations to the elected School Trustees; Randy Cairns, Carol Hamilton, Edie Woodland Lissimore and Jim Taylor.

Finally, Congratulations to the whole CRMG Team, an impressive win. A special congratulation also has to go to Ron Taylor as everyone knows, he REALLY is the one that made it happen. A bit of warning to the CRMG Team however, do make sure you "Tow the Party Line" otherwise Mr Taylor will replace you with a fresh crop of Candidates next election like he did this time.

In Closing!

I will leave this site up until the end of the week so that my closing remarks and thoughts can be shared with others.

It will also be nice to be able to make comments and quips that honestly reflect my "Sense of Humour" without having to worry about offending someone, or possibly losing their vote. Ahhh "My Freedom of Speech" returns!

It will also be interesting to see all these new Councillors spending the amount of time required to fulfill their community obligations. Let's see how many of them will be seen in the community now they are elected! Time to "Walk the Walk" Councillors and Mr Mayor.

To the CRMG Team, be prepared to be under a microscope for the next three years, or at the very least a "Big Magnifying Glass" because we, the citizens of Mission will be watching and waiting to see just how you are going to lower our taxes while maintaining services.

Shouldn't take long though, it'll only take them a couple of weeks to get "Up to Speed" apparently....
:-/

See You in the Community,
Paul...