When Ida McAllister ran for mayor of Lake City four years ago, she failed to win even 30 percent of the vote. But since then, McAllister has made public her commitment to environmental causes. She would be wise, therefore, to announce her intention to close all Lake City parks to automobile traffic, thus following the example of the former mayor of Plainsville, Alecia Yu. On the recommendation of a small group of concerned citizens, Mayor Yu prohibited automobile traffic in all Plainsville parks, and therefore was credited with solving the pollution problem and improving the quality of life in Plainsville. This action would have great appeal to the citizens of Lake City, most of whom participate in the community’s recycling program, and would guarantee McAllister’s success in her current quest to be Lake City’s new mayor.

The given argument concludes that it would be a wise decision for Ida McAllister to announce her decision to prohibit automobile traffic to all Lake City parks in accordance with her commitment to environmental causes. The arguer concedes that this action would ensure that Ida McAllister wins the forthcoming elections to the mayor of Lake City despite the fact that she had lost by a huge margin during the elections for the same post four years ago. The arguer cites the example of the former mayor of Plainsville, Alecia Yu, who had implemented similar restrictions in Plainsville as a result of which she had earned appreciation for solving pollution problems and improving the lifestyles of the people of Plainsville. The arguer further states that the people of Lake City would find this action appealing as most of them participate in the community’s recycling program as well. However, the argument is found to be lacking in several respects and it fails to convince the reader that the action being suggested by the arguer would indeed be a wise one for Ida McAllister.

The arguer completely sidelines other factors which might influence the votes of the citizens of Lake City. It is likely that environmental factors come last in the priority list of the citizens when it comes to voting for a suitable mayor for their town. There is a possibility that the citizens of Lake View are looking for a mayor who can provide economic reforms, create employment, improve the educational system in the city, facilitate construction of badly needed civic amenities etc. Therefore, it is unlikely that they will vote for a mayor whose main agenda is environmental issues.

On the contrary, it is highly possible that the action suggested by the arguer might boomerang and result in loss of votes for Ida McAllister. This is because Plainsville and Lake City are two cities which differ in their geographical and demographical make up. It is likely that the parks in Plainsville are built in a smaller area as compared to the ones in Lake City. Therefore, the automobiles driving into the Plainsville parks created traffic issues and parking problems. Hence, the decision to ban the automobiles in the parks was widely appreciated by the citizens of Plainsville. The same cannot be said about the parks in Lake City in view of inadequate information provided by the arguer. It is likely that the parks in Lake City are far away from the city and they are drive-in parks. Suggesting the restriction of movement of automobiles within the parks may lead to a public outcry, thereby having an adverse effect which would be the opposite to what was being speculated.

Additionally, it is likely that Lake City does not have any serious pollution problems and so, the restriction of automobile movement in the parks will probably not have similar effects as those observed in Plainsville. Moreover, Alecia Yu was already in the chair of the mayor and therefore, such an action cannot be assumed to have similar results for Ida McAllister as she is running for the mayor. One cannot refute the fact that her competitors will do their level best to highlight all the negative aspects of such an action in order to succeed in the race to become the mayor of Lake City.

Lastly, the fact that most of the citizens of Lake City actively participate in the community’s recycling program does not necessarily mean that they all are environmental enthusiasts who are concerned about pollution related problems. It is likely that they are interested in recycling due to some monetary benefits that may be involved in the recycling program.

In conclusion, the argument is unconvincing as it stands. The argument could have been strengthened by providing evidence that proved that Lake City is plagued by pollution problems and that the citizens of Lake City will largely benefit from the action that has been recommended, thereby affecting the vote bank of Ida McAllister in the run for the town’s mayor. Moreover, there is a need to discuss and eliminate the factors, other than environmental causes, that will determine what the people are looking for in their mayor.