Keep shady lobbyists out of mayoral polls

Whenever civic leaders are about to elect a mayor, taxpayers are treated to brazen displays of vote buying that raise questions about the integrity of such officials.

Groups of councillors are sequestered in beach hotels, houses of ill-repute and other secret locations for weeks on end by the lobbyists backing particular candidates for the mayoral seat. The retreats are claimed to be strategy sessions or, bizarrely, ‘protective custody’ from rivals who may attempt to bribe councillors.