The Crayola candidate

Part 4

Campaign Trail by Jason Gay

MacKinnon isn't fazed by the skepticism. "People say I'm a one-issue candidate," he says, shaking his head. "That isn't true. I stand for a lot of things."

Right now, MacKinnon is standing in line at a Central Square hardware store, waiting to buy a roll of string. He's shopping for his latest campaign stunt: wrapping a piece of white string around Cambridge City Hall to signify the bond between art and politics, or something like that. It's not exactly clear.

MacKinnon is dressed today in a top hat, T-shirt, shorts, and a pair of sandals. He also carries his campaign bag, and it's safe to assume he's the only city council candidate traveling with a harmonica, a recorder, a tambourine, and maracas. The only propaganda he carries is a pile of MACKINNON FOR CITY COUNCIL brochures. The printed slogan: "Elect better actors."

The candidate buys his string and hustles down the sidewalk back to City Hall, where his campaign posse, including Ostriker and Al Nidle, have erected a long canvas wall along the sidewalk, upon which they have hung dozens of paintings and posters. Couples stroll by, inspecting the artwork -- including Warholish portraits of MacKinnon -- but most people move past quickly. As political rallies go, this one is strictly low-key.

MacKinnon runs off to complete his stringing of City Hall. He's used up one roll, but the second roll is enough to complete the circle just in front of the SHEILA RUSSELL, MAYOR sign. MacKinnon starts yelling about the link between art and politics, but the speech barely sparks the audience. After a while, he breaks out his recorder from his bag and riffs off a short melody. Bringing art back to politics is not exactly Churchillesque.

Clearly, this is not a typical political mission, and it may not be fair to measure MacKinnon's impact by the votes he gets on November 4. Some think MacKinnon's already performed a great service by taking a worthwhile but often ignored issue -- the arts -- and putting it at the top of his campaign agenda. Slowly, he's forcing other members of the political community to address a creative constituency that has too often been given short shrift.

And he's having a good time to boot. With 30 days left until Election Day, there is no sense of a crisis in the MacKinnon camp. There are no panicky strategy sessions, no bended-knee appeals to benefactors for cash donations. There will be none. Though Ian MacKinnon might not have a chance at being a Cambridge city councilor, he understands his priorities. This is a shoestring campaign based on the historic power of art and performance, but it's also grounded in the forgotten skill of having fun.

A photographer asks to take a picture of MacKinnon, who removes his hat and pulls a couple of his associates closer.

"C'mon guys," he says, smiling. "We're on top of the world."

Back to part 3

Jason Gay can be reached at jgay[a]phx.com.