Silly Season Is Almost Here!

[Chet]

Well, the time to pull nomination papers for Alderman and Mayor is just around the corner, and the posturing and letters to the editor are beginning. Tell us your election-season (a.k.a. Silly Season in these parts) horror stories -- I'll start off with one:

In a *former* job, a long-term alderman was facing his first serious election challenge in decades. Yes decades, he was over 70. Since all meetings were televised on local access cable, every meeting became his personal podium. On one particular non-issue, street paving schedules if i recall, he decided to make an issue, declaring "Its time to take the tiger by the tail before he eats the rabbit". No one questioned his logic. Later in the week at Plan Commission he oppossed a sign permit, stating "Signs are like snow". And when questioned about that, snapped "You know what I mean."
THE IDIOT WON BY A LANDSLIDE!

[Mastiff]

When I worked for a county planning office in Arkansas, there was a huge push by the toothless masses to get morons who were anti-planning elected. They came up with outstanding slogans like, "We ain't gonna let them gol-durn communist planners tell us whut ta do!", and had the full backing of the local militia.

Well, one of the brighter of the group, who was running for the Quorum Court wrote a letter to the editor concerning a vote recently defeated that would outlaw sex related businesses in the county. He had some choice things to say about the county attorney, who explained that it is unconstitutional to simply ban these businesses, and had no idea that his letter showed him to be an utter fool regarding the governmental process. It also, by default, made a push in favor of planning... which I'm quite sure was unintended.

Of course, I could not contain myself, and had to write a scathing reply pointing out the ignorance of government in a man running for office. Well, as you can imagine, the county administration wasn't very pleased, and told me not to write any more letters to the editor... But, on a much lighter note, the guy lost the election by four, yep... four, votes. I can only chuckle and assume that I swayed a couple people in his district!

Mastiff