Santa Christina mayoral election, 2008

The Santa Christina mayoral election of 2008 will take place on June 30, 2008, and will elect a candidate to the office of Mayor of Santa Christina. The election will be held concurrently with a number of other local government elections, including the election for Mayor of Doubledance. The previous election was held on June 1, 2004. However, local government reforms enacted in 2005 now mandate that all local government elections throughout Georgeland take place on June 30. Thus, the term of the current Mayor has been extended slightly to take the new election date into account. Incumbent Mayor Lois Daniels may not seek re-election because she is currently running for President. The presidential election is due to be held on May 2. If Daniels is elected President, she will clearly not be a Mayoral candidate. If she is not elected, Daniels will not be able to file for candidacy before the deadline. However, the existing electoral laws will enable Daniels to run for Mayor if the candidate of her party, the Georgeland Alliance, withdraws and the party selects her as the replacement candidate. The winner of the election will be sworn in as Mayor on July 10.

Timetable

 * Deadline for registration of candidates: Tuesday, April 1, 2008
 * Deadline for voter registration: Sunday, May 25, 2008
 * Polling day: Monday, June 30, 2008

Registered
Candidate registration will end on April 1. Most parties will choose their nominees in late March.

Liberal Democrats
Party insiders have suggested the main preselection fight will be between Wong, from the party's left, and St. John from its right. Waley is considered an outside chance.
 * Justin Waley, City Councillor from Cheltenham. At 29, Waley would be the youngest Mayor in the city's history. Waley has served on the Council since 2004.
 * Geoff St. John, Point Freeman Borough President.
 * Laura Wong, Garretty Island Borough President.

Conservative
Parker is the overwhelming front runner since he declared his candidacy in November, and is not expected to be seriously challenged for preselection.
 * Greg Parker, South Weston Borough President.

Greens

 * Sally Anne Holmes, local Greenpeace leader and anti-whaling campaigner.
 * Patty Hotchkiss, former Councillor from Santa Christina Ward

Liberal Democrats
The Santa Christina Herald reported on December 24, 2007 that a movement to 'draft' Rhodes into the Mayoral contest is gaining strength inside the Liberal Democrats. Rhodes, who is currently a Presidential candidate, has said he would 'consider' a Mayoral run in the future (presumably 2012) but is concentrating on the Presidential race.
 * Campbell Rhodes, former Prime Minister of Georgeland

Georgeland Alliance
See above for details on Daniels' potential candidacy.
 * Lois Daniels
 * Jim Smalls, incumbent Deputy Mayor. Smalls, a former Councillor, would be the front-runner for the Alliance's nomination if Daniels does not contest.