All the way from Vancouver, Washington comes this controversial mailer sent by an independent group on behalf of two candidates running for city council. This mailer recalled an episode during a council meeting in which Councilwoman Jeanne Harris called out a citizen for pointing a finger at the council members.
Here’s the breakdown:
Issue: Politicians in Vancouver are allegedly disconnected from the people they swore to represent. Their opponents say, the current council members are consumed with gaining and keeping power. Now, the city is in a state of social and economic turmoil.
The Bad Guy: While the mailer depicts Councilwoman Jeanne Harris and Mayor Tim Leavitt (who are actually not up for re-election), the antagonist here is clearly supposed to be the out-of-touch city council–some of whom are up for re-election.
Achilles Heel: The clear silver bullet was the central tagline, “GAVEL THEM DOWN! GAVEL THEM DOWN!” This resurfaced bad memories from Councilwoman Harris’ outburst. By connecting this to the list of problems facing Vancouver, the mailer is able to discredit the city councils’ integrity and effectiveness.
Summary: One side of the mailer does it job well by resurfacing a well known event that is a clear example of a politician’s disconnect. In this case it was Councilwoman Harris’ memorable, “GAVEL HIM DOWN!” The mailer also connects the city council with all the problems facing the city of Vancouver. The other side of the mailer depicts two candidates for city council, Bill Turlay and Josephine Wentzel, with their credentials. They are separated by a tree in the center, symbolic of spring and new life. The tagline reads, “Vancouver needs a fresh start. Vote for change on November 6th” The new candidates for council now represent that fresh start.
Bottom Line: Arrogant politicians that do a bad job create a perfect storm.
With that being said, it should be mentioned that the piece did have two errors; the election is on November 8th, and Vancouver does not have the lowest unemployment in the state.
Here is the video of the notorious outburst, and below that, a closer look at the mailer.
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