Wards 11/13 Public School Trustee By-election

[Slava]

Its maybe not on the minds of many, but this Monday is election day to replace Sheila Taylor, as she stepped down in the fall to run for the Wildrose party in the provincial by-election. Here is a two part article that questions all of the candidates and gives them a chance to provide their thoughts:

http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/133...ates-part-one/

http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/133...ates-part-two/

I'm kind of on the fence here personally. My vote would go towards abolition if one of the candidates were running on that platform, but since there isn't one I will probably pick between Lloyd and Hrdlicka. Its hard to say though.

Anyone have any opinions, or anyone care?

[ben voyonsdonc]

I know Julie Hrdlicka really well. She is a great advocate and I wish I was in Ward 11 or 13 to vote for her.

[craigwd]

I'm voting for Morgan. I took a good look at everyone's platform and asked all of the legitimate candidates a couple of questions and she was the one I felt most comfortable with. She had some really good answers that went beyond the stock "I will advocate for parents and communicate with the province".

She said she would basically get the CBE's house in order and make sure that they can stick to a budget, then use that as leverage to the province for more funding. It will also be evidence of how well they can work. She also says she likes to see both sides of all issues rather than making quick decision and often plays devil's advocate.

Hrdlicka seems like a really nice person and a good advocate but she provided nothing concrete beyond again, stock responses.

I liked Lloyd a lot too but I think she would be a better advocate than a trustee. She has a good track record but her entire campaign consisted of: "I listened to parents and learned this............" but then offered very little of what she thought of it or what she would do differently.

She also had some interesting videos on her website giving her views but her on camera presence seemed rather awkward.

I watched the two guys during the debate and was turned off immediately. Sean - boring as hell and kept his hands in his pockets during every question. Wilf - ugly website, devoid of ideas.

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

I know Julie Hrdlicka really well. She is a great advocate and I wish I was in Ward 11 or 13 to vote for her.

Not to be too negative, but at the candidate forum the words "I am an advocate" preceded at least half of her answers. Staying on message is one thing, but at this point it is coming across as really rote and unimaginative.

The two candidates with all of the signs came across in the candidate forums as having a mind towards the next step beyond trustee, and that is how we ended up with a byelection in the first place. I went into the forum interested in Hrdlicka or Lloyd and came out supporting Morgan. Although a small part of me wants to see Wilf win as it would piss off the incumbent trustees the most. The McAsey guy just seemed like a big business solves everything guy.

It was very apparent at the forum that at least half of the questions asked from the audience were planted by the candidates. Loved the guy who predicated his question by stating he didn't even send his kids to CBE schools.

In the end, all I want is a decent voter turnout but I am not holding my breath.

[Slava]

I voted and when I dropped my ballot in the box sounded empty. I was joking with the staff and they said about 15-17 people have voted all day. There were more people in the schoolyard to pick up their kids... Clearly no one cares about this position and it should be abolished.

[4X4]

Wha? With the 8 million signs around the neighbourhood, I missed the vote? Oops.

I would have voted for Julie Hard Liquor, just because of her name.

[psicodude]

Annalise Klingbeil ‏@AnnaliseAK 12m12 minutes ago
3147 ballots cast, according to preliminary figures. 66,000 eligible voters. That’s 4.8 % turnout by my math. #yycbe #bylxn1113

It's a $1 Billion organization and only 3147 voted?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by psicodude

Annalise Klingbeil ‏@AnnaliseAK 12m12 minutes ago
3147 ballots cast, according to preliminary figures. 66,000 eligible voters. That’s 4.8 % turnout by my math. #yycbe #bylxn1113

It's a $1 Billion organization and only 3147 voted?

Well frankly they have no power. Its a $1B budget, but basically they get what they get in terms of funding. The province decides how much money they get, and they complain its not enough. Then people complain about class sizes, or fees or whatever and the province refers them to the school board. Its just stupid, and there is no real power there (since they lost the power of taxation in the 90's). No one cares, and the board should be abolished for one super board province-wide. Far better use of the money we spend on education.

[craigwd]

Hrdlicka takes the win.
The cynic in me would say it is because she had the biggest and most signs; but I would prefer to think that she had the best ground game and perhaps came across better when door knocking.

[ben voyonsdonc]

Originally Posted by craigwd

The cynic in me would say it is because she had the biggest and most signs; but I would prefer to think that she had the best ground game and perhaps came across better when door knocking.

I think in a general CBE trustee election the person who has the biggest and most signs tends to do best. In a by-election, it is the best ground game. It takes a lot of work to get people to leave their house to vote in a by-election for trustee. In a general CBE election it piggy backs on the mayoral/city councillor race and people are less likely to be knowledgeable about the trustee candidates...many tend to vote for inane reasons like most signs or the person who has the best name.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by craigwd

Hrdlicka takes the win.
The cynic in me would say it is because she had the biggest and most signs; but I would prefer to think that she had the best ground game and perhaps came across better when door knocking.

Originally Posted by ben voyonsdonc

I think in a general CBE trustee election the person who has the biggest and most signs tends to do best. In a by-election, it is the best ground game. It takes a lot of work to get people to leave their house to vote in a by-election for trustee. In a general CBE election it piggy backs on the mayoral/city councillor race and people are less likely to be knowledgeable about the trustee candidates...many tend to vote for inane reasons like most signs or the person who has the best name.

I also strongly believe that people tend to vote for women for school trustee. As a broad generalization we tend to think of elementary schools when we think of this position and equate that to more of a female role. Because people vote on things like names here and have no idea about anything else, women always seem to cruise to victory over male candidates. For seven positions now, we have seven women. That's basically unheard of for any other role in our democracy.