Yesterday, City Council voted to move up the 2024 Mayoral election to February 2023. As of this reporting, details are scarce on an exact date or how candidates will be approved for the election. Sources confirmed that council members voted to a 5-5 tie and City Manager Justine Wellington cast the tie-breaking vote approving the 2023 election.

Segments of Cinniapolis have been calling for Mayor Gondola to be removed from office since his late father appointed him Mayor in 2016. However, those calls have grown louder by the year as residents became concerned with perceived aggressive virus lockdowns, draconian climate policies, and a general lack of a functioning government. While Mayor Gondola talks a big game at public events, he rarely has the support of the public or his city council to enact such drastic measures. Mayor Gondola has confirmed to those close to him, he would welcome a special election to “prove his worth again” to Cinniapolitans.

Now, the speculation begins surrounding which candidates will oppose the Mayor. The below list represents possible candidates who might run against Mayor Gondola, based purely on the Chorus’s reporting room’s speculation (Editor’s note: none of the below names have confirmed or denied their candidacy for Mayor):

Chess Murphy: consistent voice publicly speaking out against Mayor Gondola. Family wealth and influence would make him the most viable challenger to Mayor Gondola.

Waldo Penney: regular presence on 510 AM talk radio speaking out against Mayor Gondola. Spoke at controversial Freedom Forever rally. Small business owner.

Gregory Dragg: another frequent guest on 510 AM talk radio. Also spoke at the Freedom Forever rally. Small business owner.

Justine Wellington: current City Manager. Those close to Ms. Wellington suggest she has plans to be the first female Mayor in the history of Cinniapolis.

While no exact election date has been confirmed, Cinniapolitans hoping for a quiet, mundane January will likely be in for weeks of campaigning and mud-slinging during an accelerated election season.