A mailer's worth how many words?

If votes were decided on campaign pamphlets alone, Brent Ives might have my vote.

His most recent campaign propoganda (and yes, all these fliers are propoganda) touts his experience with city finance and his involvement in shoring up the city's monetary reserves. Fiscal prudence sells during tough times. It even has a paragraph on the back from former Democratic Assemblywoman Barbara Matthews, someone whose opinion is largely respected.

The graphics are crisp, it's largely positive, and the production quality is pronounced. I was impressed.

But, as with all such mailers, it doesn't tell the whole story of the time he's spent on the council, a council that -- for a decade and a half -- has seemed only too willing to OK haphazard residential growth.

The consequences of the past 20 years of growth haven't really been felt yet. We're getting an inkling, but we really haven't suffered from stretched fire services, and gas prices haven't stayed high enough long enough to really punish us for a sprawling footprint that doesn't include enough job hubs.

UPDATE: Ives' name has also appeared on a still mysterious mailer that also endorsed Barack Obama for president, a "no" vote on Prop. 8, and a "no" vote on Prop. 4. Never thought I'd see that happen.