And leading in the early, early returns...

It may be the first week of May, but for supporters of Mayor Jack Mussallem the 2014 Municipal we suspect that election season can't arrive soon enough.

Towards that date with electoral destiny in November, a fascinating advertisement made its debut in the weekly paper on Wednesday.

A first shot in the upcoming Mayoralty campaign, with incumbent Mayor Jack Mussallem offering up some of his campaign points as part of the advertisement, which appeared on page 12 of Wednesday's Northern View.

The election ad begins, with a large type declaration that the Mayoralty is NOT A JOB FOR BEGINNERS

And in what calls to mind the era of the old west perhaps,  a review that for us is something that wouldn't seem too far off the pace from the TV shows Deadwood or Hell on Wheels, the advertisement suggests that when there is a "Heavy Load on the wagon, that is not the time to try a new horse"

From that declaration, there comes a review of some of the strengths that the Mayor believes he brings to the job, among them:

Tried, True and Tested 

 Informed and competent

Wrapping up the debut blast for the November campaign is a reminder of the Mayor's 10 years Experience served as Mayor.

So far, near as we can tell, there have not been any rumblings of potential candidates for the November campaign. Not a surprising thing, what with it being May, perhaps many would be contenders would prefer to enjoy their summer in peace and with a little bit of preparation for the November battles.

Still, one wonders if the Mayor has not perhaps heard of something in the wind of a potential challenge to his incumbent status.

If so, we imagine that we may see more of the Mayor's talking points as the spring and summer months pass us by, making for a very early start to what could be a very competitive Mayoralty race.

Beyond any potential candidates for office, we imagine the Mayor's early advertising campaign may flush out those that perhaps have concerns over the nature of municipal politics these days and while advertising may not be their choice of rebuttal, we suspect that the letters to the editor page may start to come to life, with both would be candidates and/or unsatisfied residents alike sharing some of their thoughts on the path ahead for the City..

For those counting the days off on their electoral calendar, the May 7th ad appears some six months and eight days before Prince Rupert residents go to the polls.

And while voters may not be inclined to think about the municipal election process for the summer, we're pretty sure the advertising team at the weekly paper are hoping for more to come.  Even an advertisement a week for the duration of the time to the November 15th voting day, would make for a helpful revenue stream for the Black Press accountants we imagine.

For those that perhaps might wish to review some of the work of the Mayor and his Council these last few years, we have of course our Archive page of Municipal Government issues always available for your review.