No, probably not the last blog note, just pointing out that yesterday, Wednesday 19 June, was the last opportunity for a postal vote application.  Voters are now committed either to come in person or a postal ballot.  On our side, we managed to get everyone in the ward either by post or hand (mostly hand!) a flyer and a postal application form by yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, it was also the last post for me at 22:20 last night.  I was presenting, with Dr Iain Saville, the Systems in the City Awards 2013.  Iain was on first and got the individual awards out of the way.  Then a ventriloquist came up – Nina Conti.  She’s possibly the funniest ventriloquist I’ve ever seen (and I’ve actually seen a few, including one last year in Germany the family booked).  Her act featured a mind-bending routine with a monkey.  Then, when the audience was well ready (ahem), up I pop for the corporate awards.  Was I the organ grinder?  While I may have drastically shortened my speech about yesterday’s Parliamentary Banking Commission on Banking Standards report, “Changing Banking for Good“, and Long Finance, the audience strangely didn’t seem to notice the cuts.  A good time was had by all, and there are some very proud winners this morning.

Another day of meeting electors round the Ward.  What a fascinating Ward we have!  Two more areas of concern which may help folks get a flavour of voter issues on the street:

• signage in Austin Friars, a cul-de-sac, could use some work, particularly helping to promote the Dutch Church;
• with increased partying in the City, much of it welcome to local tradespeople, how can we find subtle, yet effective, ways of ensuring that Thursday and Friday night rubbish doesn’t interfere with the next morning’s business.

I’m building up quite a list of things to do at a local level.  Future posts will start to shape some of the international issues.  Meanwhile, for those who wanted a better picture of Uma, certainly not me, there was a lovely resolution to our previous post.  She got a “wugga wugga” (don’t even ask, but she likes them) and I got my campaign ‘baby kiss’ out of the way – though the poor dear may have nightmares for a few days about the “errgyly monster what Mummy save me from”.

PS – You can see she’s saying “Broad Street Ward needs you!” [well, in German]

Canvassing is a great way to ensure you do remain educated and in touch with voters’ real issues. Today the two big concerns, repeated by several, were basically:

• begging – not ‘anti’ beggars, but wanting to find a solution that reduced the hassle factor for shops and smokers, as well as reducing opportunistic thefts – I was struck by the realistic attitudes taken by Ward electors on this issue;
• enforcement of traffic regulations – and a particular issue with portable ‘shredding’ factories sitting on footpaths churning loudly away and ignoring traffic rules and fines – this is something local to me about which I must find out more.

There was significant praise, for the most part, of the City of London Police and their responsiveness to situations which can only be, at best, partly resolved.  More to learn during the week!

And in breaking news, my long-standing sailing friend Uli gives me her lovely 18 month old daughter, Uma, to kiss in order to supply the obligatory ‘baby kissing’ shot – but Uma proves too fast, or too wise!  Yet, there is a happy ending…

It’s been an exciting week.  At the beginning of the week I submitted nomination papers, duly confirmed, but except for rumour was unable to ascertain who else might be standing.  On Wednesday, three of us were running.  The canvassing has been underway for a week and there has been some tremendous voter interest, but today noon was the deadline for withdrawing.  The announcement of the final candidates came out this afternoon.  I look forward to meeting William Charnley, whom I strangely haven’t met during my City career – the City is sometimes simultaneously large and small.  Thus, it’s a two horse race with me and Chris Roebuck.  More news surely lies ahead…

To the Natives of the Parish of St Margaret Lothbury and the Broad Street Ward Club.  You are desired to meet the rest of your parishioners and club members on Thursday, 23 September 2004 at 18:00 at the Guildhall and from thence to go to your parish bounds afterwards to return to Throgmortons. You are desired as a Wellwisher to the Preservation of this Society to send by the Bearer £15 for your admission.
(as per a 1795 notice for Cripplegate Ward supplied by Claire and John Scott JP)

When parishioners could neither read nor write, how were they to know the boundaries of their village? They held an annual event to familiarise themselves with, and inspect the condition of, markers of the boundaries, frequently bumping parish boys heads at important points to beat in a key point. It was pointed out (not by boys) that Broad Street Ward Club had allowed this tradition to lapse. Realising that, as years ago, it forms the perfect excuse for a pub crawl, we arranged a fun evening and light quiz competition about the ward in 2004 – which naturally had to visit many of the local drinking establishments, 30 people on a pub crawl, ahem, visiting local businesses.  And to avoid getting your head bumped, here are the bounds.  At each establishment they had to have their broom signed and marked with the amount spent, as well as answer trivia questions.  We have a lot of nice establishments in the ward.   We waited a long time for everyone to get back for the scoring and prizegiving.  Ahem.

(from left to right, Michael Mainelli, Reverend Jeremy Crossley – Rector St Margaret Lothbury, Alderman David Lewis – 13 October 2004 – yes a photoshoot after the 23 September event.  We looked a lot better than we did late on the 23rd, but they were the same brooms)

I thought we should start with a campaign photo. When the family took a skiing trip to Jackson Hole earlier this year, I wanted my daughters to see New York City for the first time. Naturally, as my firm, Z/Yen, compiles the Global Financial Centres Index, we had to take the girls to Wall Street, and thus I have my opening picture for the campaign from the land of my birth. There will be some better photos later (the ones without me in them)!

This morning I went round to the Election Office at the City of London Corporation to submit nomination papers for the Broad Street Ward Aldermanic election. All successfully registered and the campaign is now on.   I am honoured to have the support of our retiring Alderman and former Lord Mayor, Sir David Lewis, and our three Common Councilmen, John Bennett, John Scott JP and Chris Hayward.  To stay up-to-date with the campaign, simply click here.

If you are based in Broad Street as an elector (and if unsure, just ask) please do consider giving me, Michael Mainelli, your vote by postal ballot or by voting in person on Thursday, 4 July 2013, at Carpenters Hall, 1 Throgmorton Avenue, EC2N 2JJ from 08:00 to 20:00 – but whatever you do, please vote, the City needs a vibrant electorate. I walk through the Ward every day to and from work and would be delighted to discuss Ward business. Contact me by telephone 020 7562-9562, or via email michael_mainelli@zyen.com, or by post to Z/Yen Group, 90 Basinghall Street, London EC2V 5AY. For more campaign details see my campaign flyer – Michael Mainelli – Broad Street Ward Aldermancy Campaign 2013 – flyer