Although it would be making an overstatement to say that the Burlington Municipal election is heating up, there are certainly signs of life in what so far has been a rather quiet period.
Most of the attention at this time seems to be centred around whether MPP Cam Jackson will run for Mayor.
Mr. Jackson says he is not prepared to make an announcement at this time. Mr. Rick Burgess, who is a Mayoralty candidate says that Mr. Jackson is continuing to collect his salary as an MPP while at the same time doing some "back door" campaigning. To Mr. Jackson's defence came Mr. Mark Preston, a Ward 1 Council canditate, stating that Mr. Jackson should be commended for contiung to work as our MPP.
As Mr. Preston points out, Mr. Jackson will become unemployed the moment he makes a committment to contest the electon, as he must immediately resign his position at Queen's Park. One really can't blame Mr. Jackson for wanting to dip his toe in the water before jumping in!
Added to the mix is the statement from Mayor Rob MacIsaac that he could not endorse Mr. Jackson should he run for Mayor, stating "What I said to Cam was that I thought his biggest challenge would be getting past his partisan past. He's been involved in partisan politics for a long time and that's not the way mayors operate".
There is also the question of the newsletter that Mr. Jackson's office sent to resident's of Aldershot which is not part of his Burlington riding. Mr. Jackson says he is investigating and will make a formal statement later on.
Will Mr. Jackson run for Mayor?
Who will Mayor MacIsaac support (if anyone)?
How much will Mayor MacIsaac's support mean when it comes to counting votes?
Why was a newsletter sent to Aldershot residents?
We will almost certainy have to wait until September 29 for the answers to the first two questions.
Although this is all quite interesting, I certainly hope there are some "meatier" issues to challenge the citizens of Burlington to come out and vote.
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