No preamble, please!

But this time there were no dramatics or catchy tunes; everything ran exceptionally smoothly and the meeting was memorable for what didn’t happen. It didn’t run overtime and both questioners and candidates were kept strictly to their allotted speaking times.

This had to be done, of course, because with 14 candidates squeezed onto the stage — a situation eased only slightly by the unfortunate absence of the 15th candidate, John de Castell — the potential for lengthy delays and overruns was a distinct possibility.

More often than not, those asking the questions are inadvertently responsible for these delays. Despite repeated warnings against extended preamble, when many questioners get to the mike, they tend to drone on… …and on… …and on… until even they can’t remember their original question — if in fact there ever was one in the first place.

The amount of wasted time is considerable, and it often leads to long, boring evenings and many residents getting up and going home before the closing remarks.

With this in mind, we could not have asked for a better moderator. WMA president Jean-Pierre Picard took on this difficult job with gusto, making sure that no one wasted any time at the mike and immediately cut them off, firmly but politely, if they somehow couldn't get to their point. He may have ruffled some feathers in the process, but there is no question that the result — a lively, streamlined, interesting meeting with plenty of issue-oriented debate — ensured that those who attended came away with the information they will need to make an informed decision at the polls on Nov. 1.