by Wayne Wright on November 18, 2011
One of the more insidious tricks in the arsenal of negative campaigners is to spread rumours. They use phrases like “rumour has it…” or “the word on the street is…”, but of course the source is never given.
One such nasty rumour is that if I were re-elected, I would just be a “caretaker mayor”. I would just be finishing the few outstanding projects as I would be leaving for Australia soon after!
Whoever started such a malicious rumour must either be desperate or does not know me at all. Anyone who has ever worked with me knows of my passion for New Westminster, and my drive – I could never just coast along. My close associates know of the dreams I still have for New Westminster.
Me, a caretaker mayor – never! To find out the real Word on the Street, be sure to read the many testimonials on my website – they are real people from New Westminster and are representative of all walks of life – no rumours needed.
by Wayne Wright on November 11, 2011
Sometimes candidates use negative statements as part of their campaign strategy. An example would be TV attack ads we saw in recent federal elections. However, there is a fundamental problem with this approach, and there is a price to pay, both by the candidate using negative statements, and by society as a whole.
Basically negative statements are either entirely false, or partly true but negative in that all the facts or the proper context is not given. The text is typically spiced with lots of adjectives. The statements are designed to put someone or a group in a bad light.
The technique is only effective because the person or campaign against whom it is used, is not there to defend, refute, or explain. But a negative seed has been planted and it grows as gossip tends to do. Genuine people, as individuals, soon become vilified in their absence.
On Facebook and Twitter one does not have the space to adequately refute a negative statement. These statements are often made anonymously. Similarly, when a voter picks up a printed campaign document full of negative statements, one is not there to refute either.
My Approach
What to do? I firmly believe that negative campaigning is wrong and cowardly. That is why my campaign will continue to focus on the positive, both in terms of what I have done and stand for, as well as how I will relate to the other candidates. I know that the existing council and city staff are sincere, hardworking people who do not deserve to have aspersions cast on them.
Should any voter have a concern as a result of negative information, I or my campaign staff will be happy to discuss this and provide the correct facts.
I trust voters will see through negative/attack campaigning and will understand that it is a reflection of the person or group employing the technique.
