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Behind this successful man, a machine

How Ed Picco steamrollers his opponents

JANE GEORGE

Ed Picco examines a voters list with volunteer Lou Budgell, who spent election day updating lists at the campaign office. (PHOTOS BY JANE GEORGE)

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Winning an election is sweet - in fact, it's a party, with gifts, a cake, smiles, hugs and handshakes all around. But making it to an election celebration isn't fun.

A successful campaign is all about hard work and organization.

Incumbent MLA Ed Picco ended up winning his Iqaluit East riding with more than 70 per cent of the vote - 569 out of 807 votes.

"Being a constituency MLA" - that is, answering his constituents' calls and taking care of their local concerns - is one reason Picco, who is also Nunavut's health minister, said he won.

Picco's win was also due to a small, but efficient campaign machine which drew on a campaign strategy that was developed by candidates and political parties in the South, but appears to work in the North as well.

At the backbone of this winning approach was an organized team of volunteers who tracked every vote and voter in the riding, from the first call right up until the final ballot was cast.

On Election Day, Picco's tiny campaign office was crowded with volunteers who kept tabs on the vote count.

Elisapee Sheutiapik, Picco's campaign manager, crosses names off the voters list so they can tell who's voted.

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Picco and his volunteer election workers didn't relax until 9 p.m. on Election Day when the first results from one poll came in, showing 134 votes for Picco, 27 for John Amagoalik and nine for Norman Ishulutak.

On one wall there was a map of the sprawling Iqaluit East constituency, marked in yellow and red. Picco visited every residence at least once, dropping off a flyer and, at the same time, gauging his possible support.

On another wall, pages listed the names of every registered voter in the riding, some 739 who were already registered and more than 100 added on to the list.

At 1:30 p.m. on Election Day, Picco's campaign manager and volunteer, Elisapee Sheutiapik, who is also the mayor of Iqaluit, marked off the names of those who voted with yellow highlighter.

Every half hour, Picco's three scrutineers in the polling station provided updated lists of the names of those who had voted.

Lou Budgell, who worked in the past on the winning campaigns of former NWT MLA John Todd, then updated his central computerized list of the voters. This allowed Brian Twerdin to get back on the phone and call those who hadn't turned out.

Brian Twerdin, another volunteer, uses his contacts and charm to urge voters in the Iqaluit East riding to get out and vote.

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"Hello, this is Ed Picco's campaign office. Have you voted yet? Do you need a ride? A babysitter?"

Several volunteer drivers milled around, waiting to pick up constituents and take them to the polling station. One made 16 trips to Apex and back before the day was out.

"You get the vote out, that's all you can do," Picco said.

The more voters there were, the better the results would be, particularly if they were Picco's supporters.

Picco was looking for at least 400 votes to win.

The bad weather wasn't a problem because it was easier to reach people at home.

But many in Apex, at the far end of Picco's riding, discovered at the last minute that to vote they had to go to the Cadet Hall in Iqaluit. Without a lift from Picco's volunteers, they wouldn't have made it.

By 2 p.m., 470 people had voted, 340 at the polling station as well as 130 who voted in advance polls.

Picco's volunteers estimated about 100 of the advance vote supported Picco.

Around 5 p.m. the lists were updated for the last time - after that it was too hectic.

"20 minutes until the polls close!"

"You haven't voted yet," said Twerdin, still making calls to supporters who hadn't voted. "Our list shows you haven't voted. If you want to be on the winning side, you had better come down. Do you need a ride?"

Picco sat briefly in a chair beneath a shelf where a Christmas card from Paul Martin hung.

"It's in the panic mode now, it's 14 minutes until polls close," said a worker.

According to Picco's unofficial tally shortly before the polls closed, about 760 had voted, more than a 100 per cent turnout. Only 644 were on the voters list, and although some didn't vote, many more were sworn in.

A driver was on his way from Apex with two last-minute voters.

"If he doesn't have a rocket, he's not going to get there. There's only six minutes left."

As the polls readied to close, the team started playing with numbers, counting up the vote and looking at the individual names.

Picco's wife Oopa arrived.

People compared their watches to double check the time. It was 7 p.m. and the two last voters didn't make it to the polls after all.

"We did the best we can do," Picco said.

By his count, 39 houses in Apex had his posters up.

"But I don't know if that translates."

Then, there was a long, nervous wait.

A scrutineer finally arrived at 9 p.m., to hand deliver the first encouraging results.

A few minutes later the other results arrived and the workers broke out in applause. After learning that he had received more than 500 votes, Picco was visibly relieved.

But, the day wasn't over. After calling his kids, Picco was off to thank supporters gathered at the Grind & Brew coffee shop.

There, Picco blew out the candles on his cake, accepted a T-shirt that read "next stop the White House" and offered special thanks to his wife, voters, volunteer supporters and to his manager, Sheutiapik, who in 2008, he said, would be "the first female premier in Nunavut."

"Strategy," said one of his supporters later that night. "That's how we won."

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