Most Read/ Least Read Blog Posts & What Do These Lists Mean?

I promised in a tweet earlier this week to post a list of my most popular blogs to date.  Never did I expect that such an exercise would be so insightful. 

My advice to all who are planning to run in 2014 (incumbents and challengers alike), would be to pay close attention to what the general public is interested in. 

So since its inception, I have published 102 posts (including this one) to my Newmarket Town Hall Watch blog.  Here is a list of the top five most read postings:

1. Evidence of Conflict of Interest (Posted on April 18, 2013)
2. Something Stinks with my Drinking Water (Posted on August 21, 2012)
3. The Era Gets the Story Wrong (Posted on January 6, 2013)
4. Tom Vegh, You Must be So Damn Proud (Posted on Aug. 29, 2012)
5. Dirty Tricks Have Already Begun (Posted on Dec. 2, 2013)

And for contrast, here is a list of the least read blog posts of all time:

  98.  Slessor Square Vote is a Game Changer for Newmarket
  99.  Finding Folly with Van Bynen's Finnish Flight of Fancy
100.  Following up with Councillors Charitable Giving
101.  The Mayor's Record for Keeping Promises (part 1)
102.  Regarding Council's Cultural Agenda

Here is what these numbers tell me as an objective observer of Newmarket politics:

1.  The top 5 blog posts share a theme that people are concerned that things are generally not running smoothly at Town Hall.  This feeds into the sentiment that two terms of Mayor Van Bynen's administration has been long enough and that its prime time for a change.  This perception spells bad news for certain incumbents including the Mayor.

2.  The least read posts are precisely the kinds of issues that I actually expected Mayor Van Bynen to base his re-election campaign on.  Namely:  a) how well he handled Slessor Square, b) his accomplishments with his trip to Finland, c) his involvement in the community via Belinda's Place and Inn from the Cold, d) his support of the Arts, and e) his "steady hand on the helm" leadership.  The fact that the public is least interested in reading about these items should send a cold shiver down the spines of the Re-Elect TVB campaign team. 

3.  The issue actually holding the public's interest is the perception that dirty business is taking place at the Town Hall.  This should be a sobering message to any campaign team that is planning on cheating, stealing votes, overspending, etc.  The public seems to be keenly tuned in to spot any dirty tricks once the election campaign begins. 

4.  This will disappoint some conspiracy theorists but none of these posts listed above is about Ward Six Councillor Maddie Di Muccio.  The idea that my blog is simply "propaganda" for her is dispelled by that fact.  I have already announced my endorsement for her as Newmarket's next mayor but there is a promise that my blog will also continue to hold her and all Newmarket council members to account whenever a bad vote occurs. 

5.  The Era newspaper has focused a lot on Glenway and Slessor Square but in my experience, I wondered why.  I noticed earlier on that whenever I write about these new developments, my readership volumes would drop.  I think it is safe to say that Glenway and Slessor are not going to be ballot issues in 2014.

6.  The fact that the most read blog is about a conflict of intererst allegation involving Regional Councillor John Taylor's too-close-for-comfort relationship with the Stronach family is interesting to say the least.  In 2010, the Stronach family was active in Newmarket politics both directly and through their affiliated Aurora based Neighbourhood Network organization.  There is already evidence that Neighbourhood Network is planning to be active again in 2014 as Newmarket's version of the Ontario Liberals' "Working Family Coalition".  Based on my findings, it seems highly unlikely that Newmarket voters will trust Aurora-based Neighbourhood Network and the Stronach family to choose our local government for us.  Stay tuned everyone, because I will be writing more on this topic in the new year.

7.  After seeing the results of readership interest levels, it is my opinion that the Newmarket Election ballot question will be, "Who do you trust?"  A lot has happened in the past 3 years to have shaken the public's faith in the current administration.  Can Mayor Van Bynen recover his footing over the next 10 months to save his job?  Or will a rookie councillor who has made a name for herself by championing openness and accountability stroll on to a landslide victory in October? 

There is one Newmarket race that matters in 2014 and voters will be asked to decide just one simple question: "Who do I trust to be Mayor of Newmarket?" 

The way I see it for Newmarket Votes 2014, any politician who fails to earn our trust will be left in the dust.