The citizens of Paradise, Newfoundland appeared to think that a teenager could effectively lead their town. I'm not sure if that speaks highly of the teenager or terribly of his opponent. Nonetheless, Kurtis Coombs initially beat incumbent Ralph Wiseman by three votes to win the job, making him the youngest Canadian mayor ever.
Coombs was obviously excited after the victory, saying, "It feels great, I can't put it into words. ...At 19 years old, it is a big deal." Yes, it is. His opponent Wiseman had been the town's mayor since 2005. He refused to comment and demanded a recount- not surprising since the results were so close and he lost to a teenager. That has to be embarrassing.
Coombs' mother, Rhonda, says she knew her son was was special from an early age. "For Christmas, he wanted suits and dress shirts," she said. Now I'm not sure if that makes him special or just plain strange. In a demonstration of unwavering honesty, Coombs' grandmother said, "I didn't think he would make it." Leave it to grandma to be brutal.
According to CBC, the recount Wiseman demanded ended in a dead tie, prompting both men to put their names on identical pieces of paper in a recycling bin. Wiseman's name was drawn. Coombs is now requesting a judicial recount. I love Canadian politics. Regardless of how this one turns out, my advice to Kurtis is this; brag about the fact that you were mayor for a few hours, put on your sexiest suit and dress shirt, and get your party on at Memorial. That's what 19-year-olds should be doing.
Yes i was also very perplexed at this article when i read it earlier, just seems interesting that someone so young would get a community to put so much trust into him. What saddens me is that although i'm young and believe that people should judge others on their age, i was very confused at how people would actually vote for him. But maybe its like you said, who knows what the opponent is like. But i think this can open great discussion on view's of politics and age.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nerdbomber...There was obviously no picture on the ballot. I would be interested to know whether he was listed first or second or where the positioning of his name was on the ballot. There are studies that show this actually has an impact on voter choice. I think to win an election you should have to have a signficantly different voter difference to account for chance...that way ridiculous things like this wouldn't happen.
ReplyDeleteps. In 2 years nobody will even remember Kurts name.