It could be viewed as a huge nuisance.

White Rock's civic election was supposed to be settled last November. But, thanks to the overturning of the re-election of disgraced former councillor James Coleridge by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Laura Gerow, the city will shortly be in the throes of a byelection for a single vacant seat on council.

Once again, residents will be subjected to campaign signs and the strident statements of office seekers. Always assuming enough candidates put their names forward, the public will believe some, disbelieve others and be indifferent to the rest.

And maybe a few will care enough to turn out and vote – although byelections tend to represent the nadir of voter involvement.

On the other hand, a byelection doesn't have to be a liability.

It could be a huge opportunity to air – if not finally settle – long-standing argument about public perception of building heights in the city centre.

No one can deny building heights are still a sore point for people on both sides of the debate. Now, those for and against highrises in the city have the advantage of no longer debating paper concepts, as in elections past; they have the practical pros and cons of Miramar Village – a.k.a. the Bosa towers – as an object lesson.

If only a single pro-highrise candidate and a single anti-highrise candidate were to appear – and openly avowed their orientation – the Sept. 12 byelection could serve as a referendum, of sorts, on the future shape of the city.

Two candidates, one choice.

Ah, one can dream.

More likely, judging from the high number of candidates last fall – 23 running for just six councillor positions – more than two White Rock politicians will make a run for office, diluting not only any chance for such a plebiscite, but either side's chance for success as well.

Whether a byelection should, in fact, be fought and won on a single issue is certainly up for debate. After all, even though the already-elected council members comprise six-sevenths of any vote, the newest victor shall not just add to the final score, but contribute opinion and insight.

However, this question on referendum likely won't be up to voters; it will be decided by the sheer number of candidates themselves.