Incumbent objects to endorsement
Mayoral candidate Scott Howell never meant for it to appear that he was running a slate.
Mayoral candidate Scott Howell never meant for it to appear that he was running a slate.
Rather, his endorsement of city council-hopefuls Betty Irwin, Jocelyn Curteanu and Pat Berrel was simply him stating who he felt would make the best candidates for council.
"Those are the people I felt are the most self-aware of the bunch,” he said in an interview today, again stressing he never intended for it to appear that he was running a slate of candidates.
The group never even met, he noted.
While Berrel hasn't taken any issue with the endorsement, he said Curteanu and Irwin are concerned about the optics of running as part of a slate.
Irwin, an incumbent, stressed Monday that she's willing to work any of the five mayoral candidates.
Also running for mayor are Dan Curtis, Rick Karp, Bernie Phillips and Mandeep Sidhu.
"I am not endorsing any one candidate over another,” Irwin said, taking issue with Howell's ads which also endorse her.
The endorsement, she said, makes it appear that she's part of a slate.
"No way,” Irwin said.
If she's re-elected, she said, she welcomes working with anyone who also makes it onto council.
In an interview this morning, Curteanu said she is honoured to have Howell endorse her campaign, noting they agree on the importance of encouraging youth to return to Whitehorse.
However, she too has heard concerns that it appeared they were running as a slate, which was never her intention.
She noted the concern about the slate was one of the first things she heard about Howell's endorsement.
Curteanu noted one of the biggest issues for her in Thursday's election is seeing a new, diverse council, not just culturally diverse but one with many different views represented.
Berrel could not be reached for comment.
Comments (1)
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CJ on Oct 16, 2012 at 7:50 am
It's too bad Scott Howell's remarks were interpreted this way. What I heard him say was (to paraphrase) that when he went to the councillors' forum, the candidates that resonated with him were those three. I thought it was a smart way to get across more of his take on things in the limited time that was available. Those three candidates have been particularly distinct about their positions, so it told me a lot about him.
He didn't say at all that they were a slate, or in agreement, or even that they'd met. It's understandable that people may have jumped to the conclusion that he was talking about a slate, but I hope people go easy on him, and give him the benefit of the doubt that he was just trying to communicate his values. It was unorthodox, at least in Whitehorse, but it beats robocalling, in my opinion.