BC Supreme Court Justice Ward K. Branch has tossed out former Pouce Coupe Mayor Lorraine Michetti’s request to overturn election results because of baked cinnamon rolls..A month after losing to Danielle Veach Oct. 15 by a five-vote margin, 84-79, Michetti filed a petition against her opponent to disqualify her because of baked cinnamon roles used to butter up voters during the tight mayoral race in October, according to BC Supreme Court documents obtained by the Western Standard..The 800-resident village of Pouce Coupe, near Dawson Creek in northern BC, has been “the subject of several political firestorms well out of proportion to its size,” Branch said in his ruling last week..According to the court document, tensions in Pouce Coupe boiled over after Veach hosted a “Tea and Talk” campaign event at a local pizza place on Sept. 18, 2022..Veach billed it as an election expense and said it was a way for voters to “enjoy tea or coffee with a delicious cinnamon bun and ask questions, get to know me, and my plans for working towards bettering our community.”.The total amount Veach spent on coffee and tea for the event was $17.50, and on cinnamon buns was $27.00. This represented only five drinks and two cinnamon buns for the attendees. She ended up bringing the remaining four buns home for her family. She provided a $50 tip since the restaurant was not set up to charge a specific room rental fee..Those refreshments, however, would later become the basis for Michetti’s petition..Michetti claimed the tea and buns were buying votes and had “resulted in [Veach] winning the election.”.But witnesses told the court cinnamon rolls and coffee weren’t enough to influence their votes..One witness said she found the suggestion “totally ridiculous.”.My “vote can’t be bought with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun,” another witness told the court..Veach testified that the purpose and goals for the event, including the provision of tea, coffee, and cinnamon buns, were to allow residents of the village to meet her, learn about her plans if she was elected as mayor..On cross-examination, Veach admitted that she hoped people who attended the event would vote for her, but on redirect, she clarified that she hoped they would vote for her because of the campaign she presented, and not because she provided refreshments..Eventually the judge sided on the witness's account of the "attempt" to sway them with sweet cinnamon goodness..“I find that Mrs. Veach’s purpose for supplying the very limited refreshments here was simple human decency and politeness, particularly given that it was an early weekend morning gathering,” Branch said.."I find that the provision of refreshments at the Tea and Talk event did not violate the vote-buying provisions."."Specifically, I do not find that Mrs. Veach provided the refreshments at the Tea and Talk for the purpose of inducing any voter to vote for her or to decline to vote for Ms. Michetti. Mrs. Veach denied that this was her intent in providing refreshments," Branch said.."None of the attendees at the event gave evidence that they were so induced, or that they perceived that the refreshments were being provided in an attempt to so induce them.".Emily J. Arendt, a history professor at Montana State University Billings, told The Washington Post, "Whether it’s cinnamon buns in Canada or corn dogs at the Iowa State Fair — politics and food go together like bread and butter.".“Politics is a social activity, and social activity has historically always included food,” Arendt said..“And so whenever you’ve got community gatherings, food is a huge part of that. Since politics is so fundamentally about bringing people together in a community, it makes sense to me that you see food being brought in as well.”.However, it appears, this is not the first time cinnamon rolls have entered the world of politics..In 2019, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the US was mocked for eating one like a chicken wing. And while the Swedish pastry has even inspired an annual celebration — Cinnamon Roll Day falls on Oct. 4 — it’s not been enough to curry favor with voters.
BC Supreme Court Justice Ward K. Branch has tossed out former Pouce Coupe Mayor Lorraine Michetti’s request to overturn election results because of baked cinnamon rolls..A month after losing to Danielle Veach Oct. 15 by a five-vote margin, 84-79, Michetti filed a petition against her opponent to disqualify her because of baked cinnamon roles used to butter up voters during the tight mayoral race in October, according to BC Supreme Court documents obtained by the Western Standard..The 800-resident village of Pouce Coupe, near Dawson Creek in northern BC, has been “the subject of several political firestorms well out of proportion to its size,” Branch said in his ruling last week..According to the court document, tensions in Pouce Coupe boiled over after Veach hosted a “Tea and Talk” campaign event at a local pizza place on Sept. 18, 2022..Veach billed it as an election expense and said it was a way for voters to “enjoy tea or coffee with a delicious cinnamon bun and ask questions, get to know me, and my plans for working towards bettering our community.”.The total amount Veach spent on coffee and tea for the event was $17.50, and on cinnamon buns was $27.00. This represented only five drinks and two cinnamon buns for the attendees. She ended up bringing the remaining four buns home for her family. She provided a $50 tip since the restaurant was not set up to charge a specific room rental fee..Those refreshments, however, would later become the basis for Michetti’s petition..Michetti claimed the tea and buns were buying votes and had “resulted in [Veach] winning the election.”.But witnesses told the court cinnamon rolls and coffee weren’t enough to influence their votes..One witness said she found the suggestion “totally ridiculous.”.My “vote can’t be bought with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun,” another witness told the court..Veach testified that the purpose and goals for the event, including the provision of tea, coffee, and cinnamon buns, were to allow residents of the village to meet her, learn about her plans if she was elected as mayor..On cross-examination, Veach admitted that she hoped people who attended the event would vote for her, but on redirect, she clarified that she hoped they would vote for her because of the campaign she presented, and not because she provided refreshments..Eventually the judge sided on the witness's account of the "attempt" to sway them with sweet cinnamon goodness..“I find that Mrs. Veach’s purpose for supplying the very limited refreshments here was simple human decency and politeness, particularly given that it was an early weekend morning gathering,” Branch said.."I find that the provision of refreshments at the Tea and Talk event did not violate the vote-buying provisions."."Specifically, I do not find that Mrs. Veach provided the refreshments at the Tea and Talk for the purpose of inducing any voter to vote for her or to decline to vote for Ms. Michetti. Mrs. Veach denied that this was her intent in providing refreshments," Branch said.."None of the attendees at the event gave evidence that they were so induced, or that they perceived that the refreshments were being provided in an attempt to so induce them.".Emily J. Arendt, a history professor at Montana State University Billings, told The Washington Post, "Whether it’s cinnamon buns in Canada or corn dogs at the Iowa State Fair — politics and food go together like bread and butter.".“Politics is a social activity, and social activity has historically always included food,” Arendt said..“And so whenever you’ve got community gatherings, food is a huge part of that. Since politics is so fundamentally about bringing people together in a community, it makes sense to me that you see food being brought in as well.”.However, it appears, this is not the first time cinnamon rolls have entered the world of politics..In 2019, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the US was mocked for eating one like a chicken wing. And while the Swedish pastry has even inspired an annual celebration — Cinnamon Roll Day falls on Oct. 4 — it’s not been enough to curry favor with voters.
