The electorate in South Yorkshire should have received a leaflet including an election address from each of the 5 candidates. I'd only ever heard of 2, one being the current Mayor, collectively an uninspiring group - not a patch on Andy Burnham and one or two other mayors, but I digress.
Lots were drawn to determine each candidate's position in the leaflet.
1. The Green party, leader of the 14 Greens on Sheffield City Council, cabinet member for Transport & Climate Change and chair for Housing. Features as the first of his 6 priorities BETTER BUSES AND TRAMS - extending the bus and tram network. No mention of aviation or railways.
2.Lib/Dems - seemingly a Barnsley councillor (not stated in the address), 5 photographs with one in front of a railway viaduct, a bus in Barnsley, a police car and the Robin Hood terminal. Wants better public transport, nothing specific written about anything with no trace of railways, trams or the airport
3. Labour, the incumbent Mayor from Sheffield. 10 bullet points, 4 featuring transport. 1 to bring buses under public control, 3 make South Yorkshire Airport City a world leader in sustainable aviation, 6 renew our tram network, 7 pilot free travel on public transport for young people. No mention of railways.
4. Conservative a Doncaster councillor. In his own words the only candidate with a credible plan to support reopening Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Of his 4 priorities No 1 is the airport. Buses and trains get no specific mention beyond making transport accessible - but "not wasting vast amounts of tax-payers cash on the Supertrams". All the way DSA for him.
5. The Social Democratic Party, the country manager of a group of 5 companies employing 350 from 6 different countries, from Mexborough, within the Doncaster area. 8 bullet points No 4 concluding "and plan to RE-OPEN Doncaster Airport ASAP!" No other mention of public transport, bus, tram or train.
2 candidates are from Sheffield, 2 from Doncaster and one from Barnsley, Rotherham not getting a runner in this race.
4 from 5 had to get DSA in somehow. Both from Doncaster clearly see this as the burning issue, particularly so the Tory - a fight against the dominance of Sheffield (where Supertram certainly is eating vast sums of money to benefit relatively few in Sheffield and even fewer in Rotherham). Barnsley acknowledges it exists. The Sheffield incumbent is somewhat evasive. Reading between his other lines the Green from Sheffield must be opposed but daren't say so!
An interesting challenge for local democracy?