Mayor Charlie Clark officially entered the fray on July 29. Rob Norris, the No. 1 challenger thus far, put his name out there earlier in the month.

Norris, a former member of Brad Wall’s provincial government, has been posting a selfie a day on Twitter. With him are smiling city residents. It’s Justin Trudeau-style campaigning, without the perfect hair, the socks and the bare chest — I hope.

Norris came out of the starting block full throttle. A prominent developer, a councillor, as well as John Gormley — a radio talk show host who is a modern Pied Piper for his loyalists — helped set the table for Norris.

Their target, an easy and popular one, was The Lighthouse, which is home to people with addictions and mental health problems. There was talk among these men of moving Lighthouse residents out of the south downtown.

That’s not a new discussion.

The timing of their proclamations, intentional or not, was perfect for Norris’ Make-Saskatoon-Safe-Again platform. I drove past The Lighthouse the other day, and there were people sitting against the building on both 20th Street and Second Avenue. It’s awful to see people living this way. Some green space would be nice.

It is impossible to disagree that The Lighthouse is in a lousy location, but far greater minds than mine will have to figure out how to move so many people into the spaces needed for their care. I don’t think the developer, the councillor or Gormley have a plan for that. Talk is cheap.

Norris is doing things differently on the campaign trail than former mayor Don Atchison. For one thing, he is using social media advantageously. Atchison was old school, too old school as it turned out.

Besides not using social media, Atchison refused to play dirty in a dirty game. One person on Atchison’s campaign team told the incumbent mayor that he would lose if he didn’t wade into the muck and fight back against Clark’s crusaders. Atchison said he left office with his principles in tact.

Atchison is said to be mulling a run, but it is less likely with Clark seeking a second term. There is or will be an ABC — Anybody But Clark — movement. If both Atchison and Norris are in the race, Clark wouldn’t have to worry about cleaning out his desk. I would have loved to have seen an AtchisonNorris set-to, but so be it. I am going to come right out and say it: Atchison would have received my vote. His name is right up there with Buckwold and Wright in terms of great mayors, and he has more to give. The Clark government has been the most inept in my memory. That said, I have yet to be sold on Norris. I wish Clark would take off his NDP hat and say something — anything — that would appeal to the masses.

At his news conference, Clark cited the opening of the Mistawasis Bridge and the Remai Gallery among his accomplishments. Sorry, Your Worship, both were conceived under Atchison. All you did was cut the ribbons.

Norris has taken shots at Clark, both verbally and on social media. The bike thing is an easy one. In one instance, Clark replied to Norris on Twitter to correct him for playing loose with the facts. Good for Charlie, I thought. Clark has a loyal group of supporters, while Norris appears to have some big guns standing with him. They are apt to be louder than Atchison’s were, especially if there is a talking head among them. It has the making of being one of the most interesting campaigns in recent memory.

Let’s get it on.

*****

I remember some people moaning and groaning when the Saskatoon Police Service started using an air unit to support troops on the ground. “It is too loud and it flies too low” were two of the knocks against it. How asinine.

I feel more secure at night when I hear the drone of the plane. Let’s review the some of the SPS Air Support Unit’s fine work in July:

1. On July 23, a five-year-old boy went missing from his backyard. Fifteen minutes after receiving the notification, the air crew located the boy about a kilometre from home.

2. On July 13, the support unit tracked a vehicle that had evaded police. With the support of the air unit, the vehicle, which had been travelling up to 180 kph, was stopped with a spike belt and the driver taken into custody.

3. On July 11, the eye in the sky followed three suspects as they ran from a murder scene on Avenue K. The air unit located and directed patrol units to all three suspects.

4. On July 9, the air unit spotted a person kicking, punching and beating a woman on the head with a hammer on Central Avenue. The air crew directed ground control to where the man was hiding.

5. On July 6, suspects in an abduction were spotted and then evaded police. The air crew tracked the vehicle going over 160 kph on 22nd Street. The suspects eventually hid the vehicle in the 600 block of Hilliard Street, and fled on foot with a sawed-off shotgun and machete. The air crew directed patrol to both suspects. They face 27 charges.

I am glad we have these officers looking out for us. Thank you.

-Cam Hutchinson