16 days to register and we have two more Candidates added to the list and one potential Candidate sitting on the fence electioneering from the Mayor’s office – official letterhead n’all.

First the latest Candidate for Mayor – Max LaMarchant, local businessman and longtime property developer, he has since sold that side of the business and now concentrates on building homes in the New Amherst sub-divisions.

His full announcement can be read here

But the more important part of his statement is this:

“Over the past four years, however, I have become increasingly concerned about the direction of municipal governance, the challenges facing Cobourg, and development decisions that, in my opinion, do not reflect the character and long‐term vision of our community. Those concerns — not politics or personalities — are why I have decided to seek the office of Mayor.

I believe that my nearly four decades of experience in planning, construction, business management, finance, and community building provide me with the practical knowledge and leadership skills needed to help guide Cobourg through the challenges ahead.” 

Speculation abounds his fitness for candidacy; because he is a home builder will he have conflicts of interest in the Planning matters that come before him, a possible collusive link to Nicole Beatty – his rival in the election – and most of all he is being criticised for having donated to previous election candidates, including all of the present Council except the sitting Mayor. It is remarkable that most of the venom directed at Nicole Beatty and Adam Bureau for accepting donations is not directed at the rest of the Council who also accepted donations. But I guess it depends on whose side you are on in this debate and looking for ammo to hurl at the candidates they don’t like.

Second there is another Candidate for the position of Councillor – Lindsay Grimley, no details yet but we will get them for you.

Finally lots of talk around Town about the Mayor’s use of the Mayor’s office to advertise his activities. In this campaign period some people are questioning whether this is normal “Mayor Stuff” or electioneering. All we know is that he is keeping the Town guessing and generating plenty of publicity. The earliest version of this idiom in print is from a newspaper article in 1915, which says, “All publicity is good if it is intelligent.” A similar expression was used by Oscar Wilde, who said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

All the BR does know, is from this email received on the 12th July:-