Election ties happen all the time. When you scour the news for local political news like I do, you realize that tie votes are not all that unusual. It is how those ties are decided that is the news.

I was recently reading about the tie city council race in Sealy, TX.

In Sealy candidates  Mark Stolarski  and Wyn McCready rolled dice. Three dice each in their box, high score wins.

There is picking a name out of a hat.  Or picking the long match stick. Or a hundred yard dash. (Just kidding, seeing if you are still reading.)

My favorite? The good old fashion cut of the cards. But, that’s just me.

How would you want your race decided?

It is local election time in the Pontificator’s home town. In addition to a very interesting two way Mayor race we have eight council candidates running at large with four seats vacant. Yard signs are multiplying with every passing day. It reminds me of Ole Oleson.

Ole ran for Mayor the same time I did in 1984. In addition to the incumbent there were four challengers including Ole and myself. A primary was needed to cut it down to the final two. Ole was a very popular “character” around town. He owned a small diner and was very involved in the local Elk’s Club. Everyone like Ole.

I vividly remember standing on a corner while going door to door and seeing a wave of Ole signs as far as my eye could see. On both sides of the street. I remember questioning myself “what the hell are you doing?” Ole had more yard signs than the other four candidates combined. Ole came in last place.

Yard signs don’t win elections.

I’ve never forgotten that.

I was having a discussion with a Mayoral candidate the other day. We were discussing yard signs. I told him my philosophy of yard signs.

Only place a yard sign in the yard of someone who contacted your campaign and wanted one. You don’t call anyone and ask if they want a yard sign. I don’t care how much you think someone may support you, they must ask for the sign.

If someone has a sign of mine I do not want them asked why they have one, and have them answer, “I was asked and I didn’t want to say no.”

I would rather have 50 signs in yards of people who want them, rather than 100 signs in yards of people who don’t.

Also, no vacant lots.

I’ve just read a story about about a pretty smart young politician.

Thomas Connor Moss a 21 year old student at Middle Tennessee State University. Mr. Moss is also running for an at large seat on the Murfreesboro City Council.

What makes Mr. Moss so smart at such a young age is what he said it would take to win this election.

“I can only win this election with help from voters in the university,” Moss said.

That is right Thomas. You can’t win any election without your base getting out and voting.

Never forget that.

Different strokes for different folks. We all have our own styles in everything we do.

That goes for management styles too. How many of us over the years have had bosses that we have liked and/or disliked based on their management style? I started to think about management styles while reflecting on my last post.

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of books about management styles. In reality there are two extremes, authoritarian and participative management styles with most managers blending the two extremes into their own style. Obviously a manager who wishes to restrict an employees constitutional rights (even when off duty) like in my last post, falls into the authoritarian style.

Here is another one.

FLORISSANT, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) – A showdown in Florissant, Missouri, Monday night. Amid allegations long time mayor and former police chief Robert Lowery had been running election campaigns – in part on the city’s dime – the city council banned Florissant department heads from campaigning for candidates for city offices, even on their own time. It was a unanimous vote.

The crowd of close to 75 erupted in applause when he finished speaking.

While I am totally opposed to a Mayor or City Administrator forcing city staff/employees to work on their behalf for a candidate or issue, I am also totally opposed to the idea that these same staff/employees are forbidden to work for candidates or issues on their own time.

A city employee should not have to relinquish constitutional rights in order to retain their job.

Recently I was talking with a City Council candidate. He told me he recently ran into a fireman and he introduced himself and told the fireman he was running for city council.

The fireman looked the candidate straight in the eyes and asked, “Are you pro fire?”

The candidate replied, “Well no actually, I would like to see fewer fires.”

I admit it, I don’t know everything about politics.

In fact I was stunned when I learned that a Governor (at least in one state) can suspend a City Council Representative.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.– The city council was short a member at Tuesday night’s meeting. Council member John Meserve was suspended by Florida Governor Charlie Crist about half an hour before the council meeting.

Meserve is facing charges of brokering and selling real estate in Mayport without a license.

Is this one of those things that somehow just escaped me for all these years?

Can every Governor suspend an Alderman?

Can those same Governors suspend a County Board Supervisor?

Can your Governor do these things?

Let me know.

Everywhere I look lately I see another article about using Social Media in local campaigns/politics/government.

Social Media expert John Moore asks … Will politicians understand that Twitter is not for one-way social interaction?

And my friend Phil Van Treuren at Killer Campaigning writes about …. Political Campaign Tweets: Twitter, Candidates & Elections.

I know if I were a candidate for office I would be investigating the use of social media for my campaign.

I mean the Academy of Local Politics has a Facebook Fan Page. Each post written on this blog finds its way to the Facebook Fan Page and eventually Twitter. That’s just the way things go these days. If a candidate doesn’t understand that they are missing out big time.

By the way if you aren’t a Facebook Fan of the Academy of Local Politics you should be. Sign up at the Facebook Logo on your upper right side.

How should vacant city council positions be filled?

Every city council eventually has a vacancy. Eventually meaning almost yearly. Aldermen come and go so quickly on some councils it is hard to watch the game without a scorecard.

Tacoma is struggling with this process right now.

Earlier this month, at least 40 candidates, vying to fill out the remaining terms of two at-large council seats, gave presentations to sitting city council-members about their qualifications and reasons for seeking the appointments. Although the current council kicked off the appointment process, next year’s newly configured council, which includes three newly elected members, will actually make the selections to fill the vacancies.

Council will hold a special meeting to discuss qualifications of the selected candidates in executive session*, to be followed by an open meeting to select appointees to serve on the City Council. Executive sessions are not open to the public.

Letters will be sent to the selected candidates regarding the results of the meeting.

Forty candidates? Presentations in open session. Deliberations in closed session.

Personally I like Mayor appointment with Council approval to fill those slots. How’s that for an opinion from a former Mayor?

Students … what do you think?  This is your assignment. What is the best way to chose replacement aldermen?

Leave your comments and thoughts.

Love’m or hate’m, yard signs are visible in practically every political campaign.

There are strategies involved in making those yard signs the best marketing tools possible.

The Electioneering 101 class will be discussing the following article after Thanksgiving break.

3 Creative Ways to Place You Election Signs

This article is from that great website LocalVictory.Com.

(If you are a local government candidate you should have that website bookmarked.)