EDMONTON- With election day just over two weeks away, the race for mayor is really heating up; or is it?
“It’s not exciting,” said University of Alberta Political Scientist Jim Lightbody. “It’s a pretty calm campaign.”
Edmonton will be voting in a new mayor and at least six new city councillors come Monday, October 21. And while in any campaign there’s usually a defining issue, Lightbody says that’s simply not the case with this mayoral race.
“In a campaign, you have to define a signature issue and then connect with the electorate in some fashion. And I just don’t see that here this time,” he explained Sunday. “I don’t think anyone’s done anything wrong. But they have not done anything right.
“Really, no one has stuck out far in advance this time. There’s three good campaigns, but none of them great.”
The three campaigns he’s referring to are that of Karen Leibovici, Don Iveson and Kerry Diotte.
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Despite what Lightbody says, each of the candidates believe their message is being well received by many engaged voters.
“People are tuning in… the level of correspondence is going up. The level of awareness when we’re knocking on doors is up, way up,” Iveson said. “You have the sense that it’s building toward something.”
“Everywhere I go people are talking about the mayoral campaign,” said Leibovici. “We’re getting lots of good support throughout the city… people are talking about it, they’re giving it serious thought.”
“It’s really ramping up, people are getting quite engaged,” Diotte expressed. “Lots of good traffic, new volunteers… it’s really good.”
And each candidate says they’ve got a clear vision of what their campaign stands for.
“My opponents are out to raise taxes and debt. So I’m the only person talking about fiscal accountability and that’s resonating very well with voters,” Diotte explained.
“I believe the election centres around where do people want to see the city be and the next few years and who they believe can get us there,” Leibovici said. “I’ve got the experience, proven leadership and the track record that shows I’m a doer.”
“I think there is a defining theme in this election and it’s leadership style. And that’s why, again, I’m focused on staying positive, it’s how I want to work with council, it’s how I want to work with the region,” Iveson said.
Lightbody says at this point in the race, most of the people who plan on voting have already made up their minds as to who they’re voting for. From here, Lightbody says candidates will be focused on persuading people to vote, but expects we’ll only see about 30 per cent of eligible voters actually cast a ballot.
“I think the electorate is turned out. On the 21st there’s going to be a lot of people going down to the mall or South Edmonton Common instead.”
Advanced voting begins on Tuesday. For a full list of advanced polling stations and hours, visit the City of Edmonton’s website.
With files from Fletcher Kent, Global News.