So many candidates, so little time

So there I was enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon when I received a very pleasant phone call from a polite gentleman who wanted to let us know that he felt "slighted" by VictoriaVision. I asked him some very basic questions and said I would correct our oversight this morning.

Now imagine my surprise when I find that we have not slighted him. I find him listed on the candidates page along with the other candidates in his race. He has no web page or online presence so his name is simply text. No links and, like all the others, no commentary.

So two things come up for me:

1. This is 2014. If you cannot put together a basic web site or at least a Facebook page I immediately start to question your ability to function as a productive member of any local governing body. Apologies if that smacks of ageism or elitism but that to me feels like a basic requirement of a candidate in this time and this place.
2. How am I supposed to know anything about him? This is one of the reasons I strongly support amalgamation. The race this guy is in could, at best,  be described as second-tier. Media outlets in this town are virtually ignoring the races in the "big four" (Victoria, Oak Bay, Saanich and Esquimalt) let alone the races in the smaller municipalities. An amalgamated city represented by wards, would have one single race for mayor and a lot fewer council races which would allow at least some chance for reasonable coverage.

I have not named the candidate who contacted me because I know so little about him and the issues in his race that any mention here would amount to a tacit endorsement (or criticism) without real foundation. I have never done anything more than drive through his municipality. So far all I can say is that he comes across as sincere and polite. The issues he enumerated to me were the usual boilerplate "dysfunctional council" and "poor leadership". Not exactly pressing issues at the level of politics where far too often bad-mouthing your neighbour seems to pass for debate.

I applaud him for getting involved and espousing civility but plucky independent candidates with no budget are a dime a dozen and won't be getting boosted by me.

To be fair he might surprise me with something important to say so maybe I will be forced to eat my words. We will see.