Saint John — Darrell Bastarache views himself as many things: businessman, community leader, and the next mayor of Saint John. But one thing he refuses to see himself as is high-calibre.
“If anything, I’m low calibre.”
That’s the message he was hoping to deliver when he appeared on CBC’s Information Morning last week to talk about his campaign. However, the interview soon went off the rails when he was questioned about controversial posts he allegedly made on Facebook.
Bastarache said his comments were taken out of context and totally unfair.
“I listened to the reporter’s interviews with the other candidates and she didn’t ask them a single question about 9/11. Not a one. How is that fair? I had some serious policy I wanted to discuss.”
Sensing he needed a campaign reset, Bastarache reached out to The Manatee earlier this week to schedule a telephone interview, citing our balanced and unbiased journalism and independence from the mainstream media (he obviously missed this article).
“Unlike the CBC, you guys aren’t bought and paid for by Bill Gates, Hilary Clinton, George Soros and the other globalist hacks,” he said. “I know you won’t throw me any curveballs or ask me about my personal life, just how I plan on moving the city forward.”
So how does he plan on doing that?
“I have been talking to entrepreneurs here and abroad and we have a firm plan put in place. However, I cannot let it out at this time due to my competitors.”
Of course.
According to The Manatee’s official polling firm, support for Bastarache currently hovers around two percent. However, with a three-percentage-point margin of error, it could very well be that he OWES votes.
Despite the tough odds, a silver lining for Bastarache is that he may have a career after municipal politics. Kris Austin, leader of the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick, happened to catch the interview last week and liked what he heard.
“I thought, wow, this guy really checks all the boxes. Ill-advised comments on the Facebook? Check. Insane conspiracy theories? Double-check! No matter what happens on election day, I think we should talk!”