Fri Oct 2, 2009
Anna Mehler Paperny
From Friday's Globe and Mail
Last updated on Thursday, Oct. 01, 2009 10:04PM EDT
For less than 36 hours, 19-year-old Kurtis Coombs was Canada's youngest mayor ever, having won a place at the helm of Paradise, Nfld., by a mere three votes.
But a recount and a name-drawing later, he's an also-ran vowing to contest the results and take his demands for a recount to Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court.
Mr. Coombs, who lives with his parents in Paradise and commutes to Memorial University in St. John's, won the first round of ballot-counting in Tuesday's municipal election by a hairsbreadth. But a recount Thursday put him and incumbent mayor Ralph Wiseman in a dead tie. The standoff was solved, in accordance with provincial rules, by drawing the two names out of a hat – or, in this case, Mr. Coombs said, a recycling bin. Mr. Wiseman won.
But Mr. Coombs said he'll contest the results, which he claims ignore Paradise residents' votes for change in their city.
“It's not something I'm letting up on,” he said. “Many residents are absolutely furious. … There's a serious problem there: You can't just pick a name out of a bucket and hope for the best for the next four years.”
Mr. Coombs spoke with a lawyer, and hopes to formally request a recount Friday.
Mr. Wiseman couldn't be reached for comment.
The campaign surprised everyone, Mr. Coombs included: He had only planned to try for a council seat until he found out Mr. Wiseman was the only mayoral candidate running.
“I took it upon myself to try and make that difference that was needed for Paradise,” he said.
Councillor Allan English, who was re-elected to his council seat this week, said the surprising close vote is indicative of discontent in Paradise, whose rapid growth has been fuelled by the province's booming offshore oil development but hasn't been matched by sufficient infrastructure development.
The 14,000-person city has seen close to 1,000 new homes go up in the past two years, and its water and sewer systems haven't kept pace.
“I knew there's a lot of discontent there but I never anticipated what happened. … I got a sense there was sort of a protest vote attaching itself to Mr. Coombs,” Mr. English said.
“People want to come to Paradise, it's got a lot to offer, but we have a significant infrastructure deficit there.”
Mr. Coombs took his infrastructure-heavy platform door to door throughout the campaign. His plans to improve the city's water and sewage services while better enforcing the building code are ambitious, he admitted. But he thinks they're realistic goals.
“At first, people were skeptical and then when they began to hear me talk and see that I was a legitimate candidate and someone who legitimately cared about the town, people's opinions began to change. And that's evident [in] the final polls,” he said.
“I was amazed.”
Mr. Coombs said he's been interested in politics since he was a small boy listening to his grandmother read hard-luck stories to him out of the local newspaper.
He insisted he could have juggled his studies with mayoral duties.
“I've balanced school and numerous volunteer commitments, and a part time job… I wouldn't have run if I didn't think I could handle the extra workload.”
The second-year political science student cites former Liberal Newfoundland premier and federal cabinet minister Brian Tobin as a major inspiration, and says he sees a future for himself in the public sphere “as long as I have a reason to speak out for the people.”
Mr. Coombs said he has purposely resisted declaring any partisan leanings so far. And, like any good politician, he was coy about where exactly his career may lead.
“I wouldn't say that I would not be able to see myself in federal politics.”
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-boy-who-would-be-mayor/article1309087/
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