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What's the secret ingredient for winners?

Post-election analysis in politics is a bit like post-game analysis in sports. It's a whole lot easier than election or sports predictions. The election Saturday in New Westminster was no different.

Post-election analysis in politics is a bit like post-game analysis in sports. It's a whole lot easier than election or sports predictions.

The election Saturday in New Westminster was no different.

It's always easy to say that incumbents have a big advantage, because they do. Name recognition and a history of helping citizens one-on-one are just a couple of reasons they start the race with a headstart. The fact is that new candidates have a high bar to leap to unseat incumbents. So, if there was one "surprise" in this election, it was Jonina Campbell and David Phelan taking the top two spots on the new school board. But is it really a surprise?

Campbell and Phelan were on the New Westminster and District Labour Council's endorsement list - a list that has a remarkable success rate. Of the 29 contenders endorsed by the labour council this year, 25 were elected. Those who are not endorsed by the labour council are always quick to say that the left-wing "machine" is a formidable opponent. Yes, there's some truth to that - but if the left wing was so all darn powerful, why is there a Liberal government in provincial power and a Conservative one ruling federally?

Blasting labour for getting its supporters out is simply not a good enough blanket excuse for losing - or winning.

Voters, in our opinion, are looking for positive candidates with some knowledge of the issues and an ability to listen well, who care deeply about the city (or education) and have some vision to offer. Campbell and Phelan ticked off all of those boxes.

The candidates who had trouble in this past election were, with one or two notable exceptions, almost universally more about criticizing and blame and more about selling themselves than they were about providing voters with a positive vision for the future.

Voters may like to see a good fight during the campaign, but they'll almost always support the steady hand instead of the closed fist when they're in the little cardboard polling booth.