2013 Calgary Municipal Election Thread

[JonDuke]

Originally Posted by K1LLswitch

I'm in ward 7......not a fan of Druh, but don't know anything about the other two. Is there a debate or something that can educate me?

There's a CivicCamp forum for Ward 7.

Tuesday, October 1st 7-9pm.
Eau Claire Mall at 200 Barclay Parade SW

[Julio]

Originally Posted by SebC

A likely scenario. I don't think Carter's working for her though.

I believe his wife is tho...

[Bigtime]

John Lord will not disclose his donor list until after the election.

[NuclearPizzaMan]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

John Lord will not disclose his donor list until after the election.

I won't be disclosing my donor list either.

I figure that'll be about as relevant to the election.

[KevanGuy]

I'm at the ward 11 civic camp forum. I don't think Pincott will have to worry too much about losing his seat.

[Bunk]

On the questions of "has the Mayor kept his promises?" or "what has the Mayor accomplished?"

A detailed accounting of all 12 of his "Better Ideas" from 2010. Lots done and lots of progress on all fronts. Have a read through.

http://www.nenshi.ca/3yearsofprogress

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Bunk

On the questions of "has the Mayor kept his promises?" or "what has the Mayor accomplished?"

A detailed accounting of all 12 of his "Better Ideas" from 2010. Lots done and lots of progress on all fronts. Have a read through.

http://www.nenshi.ca/3yearsofprogress

Wasn't sure if I should put it here or in your AMA, but I think I might have caught a mistake?

"Council passed a new development levy agreement in 2011 that reduced the subsidy that taxpayers provide to new suburban developments by half."

This statement, that subsidies have been cut in half, has been reported in media too, but it seems to be a math error that's just getting repeated.

According to your post here, the development levy doubled. This is not the same as cutting the subsidy in half (it would have been the same if the developers were paying 1/3rd of the cost before, but they weren't).

But the $4500 subsidy Nenshi's published in his platform doesn't match the ~$7500 subsidy that "reducing the subsidy by half" implies. Unless one number is per house and one is total or per acre, or something like that.

(This also means I've been erroneous in repeating the $7500 value, so I've been going with $4500 now.)

[Fusebox]

What can anyone tell me about the race in Ward 9? Seems like a three horse contest between incumbent Carra, challengers Richard Wilkie and Jordan Katz. Is Carra in tough to hold onto his seat? It seems like the signs for the other two are everywhere.

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by Fusebox

What can anyone tell me about the race in Ward 9? Seems like a three horse contest between incumbent Carra, challengers Richard Wilkie and Jordan Katz. Is Carra in tough to hold onto his seat? It seems like the signs for the other two are everywhere.

Carra shouldn't have a problem getting re-elected.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

I'm at the ward 11 civic camp forum. I don't think Pincott will have to worry too much about losing his seat.

James Maxim seems awfully well financed as well as trained by the mighty Manning foundation

[Bigtime]

From the tweets I saw about the ward 11 forum last night it appeared as though the two challengers were very weak on knowledge of any issues outside of their core campaign "promise".

[worth]

I tried to get to the Ward 11 forum last night but couldn't make it.

No way i'm voting for Maxim and his shadiness. The other guy I have no idea about, but sounds like he is sort of a middle ground between Maxim and Pincott.

What has Pincott done for Ward 11 though? That is my concern. What the heck is this guy doing?

[Slava]

I think that those two wards (9 and 11) along with 7 are the more interesting actually. Maxim nearly won in 2010 and you have to expect a lot of Nenshi voters to stay home this time, particularly if you see bad weather on election day. Old 'Jimmy Minimum' might finally win there!

Whenever I drive around Ward 9 its Katz and Wilkie everywhere and then a few Carra signs here and there. Now that could be just some areas of that riding, but again this was pretty close in 2010, albeit with a different competitor, and again with many Nenshi voters just not bothering that could get interesting.

One race that I'm enjoying from afar is John Mar and Evan Wooley in Ward 8. I still think Mar wins, but he is facing a stiff challenge and being called out by Wooley on his voting record, relationship with developers and things like that. The forum held last Friday night looked like a disaster for Mar, but it was a Friday night so probably not a huge concern. Wooley has branded himself as someone who would fight to eliminate the developer subsidy, regulate secondary suites and reform electoral finance. He says he would be a staunch ally for Nenshi, and in Ward 8 this message (and his others) could go over very well. Combine that with accusing Mar of being a developer or closely connected to one and having to recuse himself from votes as a result and its pretty entertaining. The mudslinging is just about to ramp up; last night it really started with comments about Wooleys LinkedIn profile....

[Slava]

Originally Posted by fotze

Where do you see those comments?

Which ones? About the LinkedIn? They were on twitter. Its not that I think that's out of line (its basically public info), its the way it was raised. There just appears to be some bad blood here.

[Bigtime]

7pm tonight at Eau Claire Market there is the Ward 7 forum. I can't make it out but hope to be able to catch the live stream of it.

Should be a good one, the gloves have definitely come off in this ward. With his retirement from the WWE perhaps we should have JR moderate it?

"It's going to be a slobberknocker!"

[Addick]

Originally Posted by kevman

The only loss would be for the developers that have lined her campaign pockets with donations. Walking through Hillhurst/Sunnyside and seeing the developer signs is like reading a photocopy of Farrell's donation list.

It's hard not to think a conflict of interest is at play when certain candidates are so heavily financed by some sort of developer whether it be inner-city or suburban. It's great she stands against suburban developers making sure they pay their fair way but what about inner-city developers? Condo's place an incredible strain on ageing infrastructure in these old communities and the developers don't always pick up their fare share.

While I'm not a fan of heavy corporate sponsorship in elections, there has to be some context in this situation. To be fair to Druh, these developers could be attempting to show their appreciation for the work Druh is doing on reducing the asinine barriers inner-city developers face. It is baffling how, at times, developers move out of their comfort-zone in an attempt to embrace the principles the City lays out in its MDP and various policies yet they face an array of challenges in getting approvals or a DP for plans that look to conform to planning regulations or meet policy goals/objectives.

I feel that Druh is one of the members of Council that recognizes this and does what she can to let logic prevail.

Originally Posted by kevman

Art's, bridges, festivals and even everyone's beloved food trucks are generally insignificant issues in the grand scheme of things.

At the end of the day, this is what makes the difference. Calgary is competing in a globalized World and the competitors it has to worry about are not Regina and Tulsa but rather cities like Stockholm and Melbourne. These cities are all going to provide the business-friendly environments companies seek and Calgary can offer but they also provide the livability and high quality of life that employees seek. The latter is going to be the place where the battle is won or lost and simply providing a large house in the burbs is not going to cut it.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Slava

Whenever I drive around Ward 9 its Katz and Wilkie everywhere and then a few Carra signs here and there. Now that could be just some areas of that riding, but again this was pretty close in 2010, albeit with a different competitor, and again with many Nenshi voters just not bothering that could get interesting.

In Renfrew, from what I've seen, the Carra signs are on people's lawns where the Katz and Wilkie signs are on public property.

[CaptainYooh]

Wilkie and Katz represent a very similar platform and will split the conservative votes in Ward 9. Carra is going to win, no doubt.

Woolley vs. Mar is going to be a sad fight. Woolley has nothing but very leftist political ambitions in his background while Mar is, well, Mar. I dislike both of them immensely and don't think either one of them will actually make a new Council better.

[SebC]

Is Newman a non-factor in 8? I'm assuming Mar is going to win, but is Woolley way ahead of Newman?

[CaptainYooh]

SebC, I am pretty sure you are Woolley. Admit it!