Social Media Politics

Getting my contact info and social media accounts listed on the official City of Toronto website proved to be far more difficult than expected. Here I’m telling you that story and introduce a better summary of other candidates’ contact info and social media accounts.

I summarized the candidates’ social media accounts in the Google Spreadsheet linked below as well as under the image above. It’s work in progress, let me know if you would like to help. My own social media links may be found in the pull-down side-menu of this blog, as follows:

• Email: andrei2018 at zodian dot net (can be used for donations)
• Phone: 315-7ANDREI (i.e., 315-726-3734; you may call or text)
• Blog: andrei.zodian.net (subscribe here)
• Facebook: fb.me/andreizodian
• Twitter: twitter.com/andreizodian
• Instagram: instagra.am/andreizodian
• YouTube: Andrei Zodian’s Channel (not used yet) 
• Contact Form: more private
• PayPal: paypal.me/azd (can be used for donations)
• Address: PO BOX 99900 EE 012 156, RPO COLLEGE SPADINA, M5T 0A6

Getting part of the above listed on the official candidate list (link below, under TOward10) was far more difficult than I imagined. I first listed my Email, Blog, Phone and Mailing Address in my candidacy form when I filed it, but they were not published on the website.

I then assumed I had to submit them via the candidates’ website. However, to get access, after doing a number of steps, I had to get the password by phone and nobody answered phone calls (or it seemed that way) on the last days of registration. Though I did leave a message asking for the password to be left in my voicemail or texted to the number they had on file on Friday, I did not get it. On Monday, I tried again and was finally able to talk to someone and get the password; I immediately updated the info with the above.

I thought I will soon see my accounts in the list, but instead, on Tue morning, I got an email from Gail Baker, the Project Manager of Election Services, telling me that my blog (this page) did not work and the others were unrelated to the campaign.

Thank you for submitting contact information.  As per the Clerk's policy, links that do not pertain to the campaign are not posted. As a result, the following links are not showing up on the City's website:

· Facebook

· Twitter

In addition, the website address you provided does not work.  Once  these links have been updated to reflect your campaign, we will be happy to post them to the City's website.

Please note, your address, phone number and email have been posted.

Needless to say, this was quite a bummer. I had spent quite a bit of time creating my social media accounts especially for this campaign, as I avoided doing anything on the Internet under my real name. Not only that someone was falsely claiming that they did not work or were unrelated, but whatever they stated was published had not been so.

I re-sent my information immediately on receipt of the other email asking for an explanation.

Contrary to your claim of having posted my contact info, it's still not there, as can be seen in this screenshot: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fx424ezNJpzB8ZC16

The failure to post the basic info that was first submitted with my candidacy papers on Friday, September 21 around noon, then again, Monday September 24, via the website, after the unnecessary delays in getting my password, is extremely prejudicial to me.

VoteCompass (among others) has started a survey of candidates and has relied on your list for email addresses. Since you haven't posted any of my contact info despite repeated submissions, I had to contact them directly via Facebook, and they once again confirmed that the info just wasn't posted: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vBanUfnrp4mCLJeg6

I am once again requesting that you post that info with no further delay:

Phone: 315-7ANDREI (i.e., 315-726-3734)

Email: andrei2018 at zodian dot net

Mailing address: 

PO BOX 99900 EE 012 156

RPO COLLEGE SPADINA
TORONTO ON M5T 0A6

The link for my website is in my signature: http://andrei.zodian.net

The website has 100% uptime and is hosted by Google. Your claim that "it does not work" is false. Please post it ASAP with no further delay!

My Facebook Page (also in the signature of this email, at http://fb.me/andreizodian) was also created specifically for this campaign. So is my Twitter account, at https://twitter.com/AndreiZodian. Please explain the basis of your conclusion that they "do not pertain to the campaign".

I tried to be as polite and considerate as possible, but I was delayed by several days in a crazy campaign, and I wasn’t happy.

I got this reply the next morning, confirming that my social media info had been published.

Thank you for your email.  Our apologies, we had some technical difficulties with our system yesterday and it seemed that your information did not post. The error has been corrected and your information is now on the List of Candidates.  Please note, the additional information you provided is viewable by clicking on your name.

But it didn’t stop there. When I tried to log in again to the candidate system, it seemed that my password had changed. I used the “reset system”, having entered my reset questions before, but immediately after successfully changing my password, I got the message “your account is locked; call us to log in”.

I called the Clerk’s Office number again 416-338-1111, as shown on their card. Again, I had to wait on hold 10 minutes or more for the general receptionist, who transferred me to the “candidates office”. Upon giving my name, an irate voice informed me that nobody is discriminating against me and they are simply adding info in the order received and they have a backlog. I pointed out that the email stated that the info had already been added, that some of my info was deemed irrelevant & refused and nothing about a backlog and asked why. He claimed that he did not know what the actual email said. He did nevertheless unlock my account. At the end, I had the inspiration to ask for a more direct number and I got it: 5-0025.

Telling the story of getting my accounts published has consumed this entire article. Still, it’s important for me to tell it, because this kind of inefficiency and lack of respect (LE: not to mention the optics of doing this to someone who is neither incumbent nor a city worker "taking a leave of absence to run for office" as some have done) for people’s time is what I aim to change with my candidacy.

Coming up: a summary of the other candidates’ presence.

Sources / More info: ggl-ss, ce-2016

Andrei Zodian: #bureaucracy, #ethics, #customer service, #toronto city clerk, #city clerk, #management, #social media (Tags)