Brand loyalty

We spoke a few clicks back about loyalty to fast-casual restaurants as gauged by some non-scientific metrics that no one knows or cares about, because money is the bottom line.

Hails from the Midwest, farts have lumps

In contrast, loyalty to a candidate as measured by responses to the question, "If you could only vote for one, who would you vote for" is very reliable and scientific, but again, no one ultimately cares because we don't use that as our method of choosing town board members (but mark my words, if the results turn out differently than the Five Families - the Pinkhams, the Pickerings, the Roseners, the Van Horns, and John Cullen, plus consigliore Paul Fishman (you decide if these families are crime syndicates or moneyed powerbrokers) - previously decreed, we will certainly be looking into other voting methods, including direct appointment).

So here is the result of a simple poll of 200 registered Estes Park voters conducted over the 3-day weekend:  "If you could only mark your ballot for one, who would you vote for?"

In contrast to previous polls, these numbers do add up to the expected number of 200, because phone numbers were called until 200 answers to the question were obtained.  One person insisted on supporting an individual who doesn't exist once they enter town limits, so the results in the Estes Park matrix add up to 199.

What do these numbers mean?  As stated, they mean nothing predictively as far as outcome, because I can guarantee the top three in this poll will not be the same three folks sworn in at the end of the month (and then sworn at thereafter).  Should they be?  Well, probably, because what happens when you have second and third choices and exercise them is that the person who gets the largest number of votes generally manages to bootstrap one of his/her "buddies", because he/she will recommend who else to vote for besides him/her (they generally have the same party affiliation and run in the same circles, so it is obvious to anyone paying attention anyway), and most folks in Estes Park are too busy resigning from boards to have time to behave other than sheep and think other than parrots.