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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
City council candidates have been hitting the pavement for the Oct. 15 election. Yellowknifer caught up with a few to see what their approaches are to campaigning.

Rebecca Alty Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: About 12 Cost to campaign: just under $3,000 Bob Brooks Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: 10 to 12 Cost to campaign: just over $3,000 Lydia Bardak Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: Small handful of close friends Cost to campaign: just over $3,000 Adrian Bell Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: 6 to 8 core helpers Cost to campaign: No set budget and costs will depend on funds raised Linda Bussey Door to Door - Yes Team of supporters- 20 to 30 people Cost to campaign - Between $5,000 and $8,000 Niels Konge Door to Door - No Team of supporters- Approximately 20 people Cost to campaign - Probably between $5,000 and $8,000 Beaton MacKenzie Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: 14 people Cost to campaign: About $6,000 to $8,000 Amanda Mallon Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: About 15 people throughout Cost to campaign: About $2,500 Ian Mathers Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: Some help from son erecting signs Cost to campaign: Under $1,000 Phil Moon Son Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: A few close friends Cost to campaign: Won't say Cory Vanthuyne Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: Just himself Cost to campaign: Prefer not to say Dan Wong Door to door: Yes Team of supporters: 15 volunteers Cost to campaign: Prefer not to say, but minimum of $5,000

Linda Bussey, who is running for the first time, has a team of 20 to 30 people, some who are helping her go door to door. Meeting people at their doorsteps is important, which she likens to a job interview. While she admits she cannot hit every door in the city, she wants to show she is working for the position and tries to meet people in select areas of each neighbourhood. To do that, she gets a friend from each neighbourhood in the city to help her approach other neighbours.

"When people (at the door) see their neighbour, it brings a comfort level for both the person and me at the door," said Bussey.

Some candidates, however, have indicated they are putting less emphasis on going door to door, either because of mobility issues or because there are other means of reaching voters.

Incumbent Lydia Bardak doesn't drive, so walking across the whole city can be tasking.

"It isn't like the territorial election where we parcel the city up into seven pieces," she said. "City councillors have a whole city and it is so difficult to cover the whole city."

In the past, however, she has run a hot soup station in front of the post office, and is considering doing that again to access voters.

Having a team of supporters is more crucial for some candidates than others, as well. Council candidate Dan Wong is one of the few candidates who is aiming to hit every household in the city. To do it, he is taking a team of one to six people from an overall team of 15 volunteers to go out with him on each street to get his message out. If a resident wants to meet him personally, he will then be nearby to talk.

Incumbent Cory Vanthuyne who said his campaign is a "one-man show" believes it is a difficult task meeting close to 7,000 eligible voters. Having a strong communications network with a Facebook page, Twitter account, webpage and e-mail are important to keep in touch with voters.

"If you do two to three hours every night for 30 straight nights, you'd be lucky to get into the 700 or 800 (homes) mark. It doesn't reach a lot of people and it does take a lot of time, but boy do you ever get a lot of feedback."

The high cost of running a campaign has been a common complaint by candidates. Some won't say how much they are spending, but admit the costs of signs, printing, and website registration are what really cut into budgets. Costs begin to mount when considering additional signs, professional photography, graphic design and more sign wording.

A common price range for a campaign falls in the range of $5,000 to $8,000. There is no limit on the amount a council candidate can spend on their election.

In some cases, as with Ian Mathers, he is making his own large signs and not investing in commercially-made signs.

"If you don't have a fairly large budget, it becomes prohibitive as to how many signs you put up."

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