Thread by @WVangeest

I’ve noticed something lately: @cmckenney’s Twitter feed keeps reporting places they’re door-knocking around the #OttCity, whereas @_MarkSutcliffe’s Twitter feed keeps reporting businesses and personalities he’s visited.

So I looked into it. #OttPoli #OttVote

Here’s a list of neighbourhoods @cmckenney’s been canvassing in recently:
- Kanata 8/30
- Lowertown 8/27
- River Ward 8/23
- unspecified 8/21
- Alta Vista 8/20
- @OCH_LCO 8/18
- Knoxdale 8/16
I may well have missed some here, but you get the idea.

I can’t find any record of @_MarkSutcliffe door-knocking lately, but here’s a list of businesses and personalities he’s visited:
- Newport restaurant 8/29
- Ottawa Tourism 8/28
- Sparks Salon 8/23
- Carp businesses & market 8/23
- Jennifer Stewart (Carp BIA) 8/23

- Carp Fair, Neil and Wally(?) 8/23
- Roseann O’Reilly Runte & Jacques Shore 8/22
- Ottawa Life 8/22
- Ken Evraire, CFL star/broadcaster 8/21
- Jim Durrell, former Ottawa mayor 8/21
- Jeff Hunt, owner of Redblacks 8/21
- Lisa Weagle, curling Olympian 8/21
Again, you get the idea.

(I should add that I have nothing against these folks; as a relative newbie in Ottawa, I actually don’t really know them. Point is they're apparently businesses and personalities.)

Now, I’ve never door-knocked for a political candidate before, let alone *as* a political candidate, but I imagine it’s exhausting; I’m guessing a person only door-knocks if they’re committed to their cause.

Visiting businesses and personalities, by contrast, seems...kind of easy: the pay-off is that these businesses and personalities are known to many people, which may spark a feeling of personal connection—albeit superficial—or make a candidate seem well-connected.

Because this approach is based on name recognition, it doesn’t take much of an investment. You don’t need to listen to people's difficulties and aspirations, share your plans, work things through; you just need other people to recognize the business/personality.

I don’t know about you, but I think I’d prefer a candidate who’s ready to do the hard work, who’s there not for the photo op but for people, whose main interest is elevating others, not himself.

Catherine has been a councillor for 8 years. I’ve never been a councillor, but from the outside, being a councillor looks…tough, to say the least: long hours, issues arising constantly, lots of displeasure directed at you.

Is it any wonder that Catherine is more than doubling Sutcliffe in the latest poll? I like to think Ottawa residents can see through photo-ops and name-dropping to what a candidate actually stands for.

https://twitter.com/ipoliticsca/status/1553072331119071232?s=10&t=ZxOBumF2bPNrjk_fuOfhzQ

To be sure, this campaign is far from over; will Sutcliffe (and others) put in the hard work like Catherine is, or will he continue the photo-op, name-dropping approach? Will he spend time with residents, not just his well-placed pals?

I know I’ll be watching.

Also, a reminder: if you want to reach Sutcliffe via Twitter, tag @DavidColetto. A look at @_MarkSutcliffe's “tweets and replies” confirms he doesn’t engage with people (except to retweet @ShawnMenard1), if he goes into his account at all.

Apologies: months column on dates of door-knocking/personalities visits should be 7 (for July), not 8. (Anxiety about summer slipping away too quickly?)

https://twitter.com/katguerin/status/1553704094556102657

Excellent point that I should’ve made clearer.

https://twitter.com/danbrotherston/status/1553718168765480961

Another valuable point.

https://twitter.com/canuckofscu/status/1553737483921379328