For Sale: used election signs

Several months ago I decided to run for office in the District of Summerland. There were a number of factors in my decision. I thought I could do a good job on council, I had a strong sense of wanting to give back to my community and I was unhappy with the current representation. Council receives about $11,000 per year in Summerland, for a 10-20 hour per week commitment which can be an incentive for some people.

I went to see the elections officer at City Hall, which in Summerland is a lady by the name of Maureen Fugeta. She did an amazing job of babysitting all the candidates through our election gaffs and helped us with many aspects of the process (thanks Maureen, you are AWESOME!!). Once you receive a nomination package, you need to have some residents sign your nomination papers. Once I filed, I received additional information from the elections officer, and also from Elections BC. You are officially on the ballot as a candidate.

5 Man Electrical Band released a song;

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind

Sign placement is an art. I ordered 50 signs, double-sided, with wire stakes. There are a lot of options and it all depends on your budget. I spent about $500. Then I needed to order stickers to add to the sign because Elections BC has new requirements for signs that some of us missed.

Photo: Contributed

The next major component was presenting your platform. People wanted to know where I sat on lots of issues, and with the campaign in Summerland, we had a hot topic in the proposed ALR Land swap. Then you start writing, alot. Many organizations ask for responses to questions. Some of the questions were difficult to answer and required some research. I spend about $200 dollars on developing a brochure (black and white, double sided) and quickly ran out.

We had two major ‘forums’ where we responded to public questions, and we also were invited as a group to attend specific organizations. As time went on I was genuinely impressed by the caliber of candidates. I found myself doing strange things like the ‘double handshake’ (omg…I’m so sorry…), and speaking in a strange political talk (“I hear what you are are saying, and first I would like to say I appreciate that question”).

I felt elated by the positive response I received and thought I was a front runner. I was excited and nervous leading up to the election. In my case, with about 4300 voters, I received less than 25% of the vote (874), and failed to get elected. I was depressed, dejected and disappointed. I wish I had been better at reaching out to ask for support as it was a lot of work. Spending more will improve your chances of winning. I have to say my opinion of politicians has changed. It’s a very difficult job and the experience was rewarding.

I lay in bed, head buried in a tear stained pillow and my wife says, “Well, at least next time you won’t have to buy signs…” Next time? There won’t be a next time…well…I don’t know…it’s a bit soon to decide…seems a waste to just throw away the signs…not really an environmentally sound decision…hey...the environment is a hot topic these days…

Article submitted by Mark Smed.

If you have questions or comments, contact Mark at [email protected].

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.