Quote:
Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis
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If the YES vote wins 51-49, Nenshi and council will say the public has been properly consulted, and that the vote shows the will of the people
If the NO vote wins 51-49, Nenshi and council will likely override the vote, claiming that turnout was far too low to make an accurate assessment...
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Nenshi can't decide anything of this magnitude by himself; he needs Council's support. If Council members were keen on approving the bid, they could have done it already without too much consultation. The referendum will show the general mood of the general public. If voting split is 70/30 "yes', that would show a definitive bias and, I am certain, would give Council the necessary confidence to re-affirm their own "yes" decision. If it's 70/30 "no", that would move a couple of Councillors sitting on the fence to a "no" side and the motion will fail. Both 51/49 and 49/51 scenarios would show public's indecisiveness; thus, forcing the elected officials to do what THEY think is right. It's OK, that's how it should work. Much better than many awful decisions they make on their own. I wish we had this process for public art projects.
I do think the key to either decision is the amounts of Federal and Provincial contribution. It's like someone's offering us to do a full house renovation if only we would pay for the new windows and tolerate the temporary nuisance. The more money they are willing to pour onto Calgary, the more sense it makes for us to vote "yes", resoundingly. Especially, in this economy.