2013 Calgary Municipal Election Thread

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

Then vote for him. Why would you wanna vote for someone who couldn't find anything better to fight for than shark fin soup ban?

Because he/she's not associated with the Manning Centre? (not my ward, just a big turn-off for me)

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Because he/she's not associated with the Manning Centre? (not my ward, just a big turn-off for me)

So, you would vote for a complete nobody without any meaningful platform or track record for as long as he/she is not endorsed by a fiscally conservative think tank? How is that a good civic position? Please explain, I am genuinely puzzled by this.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

So, you would vote for a complete nobody without any meaningful platform or track record for as long as he/she is not endorsed by a fiscally conservative think tank? How is that a good civic position? Please explain, I am genuinely puzzled by this.

Because voting for the Manning Centre is a vote against my personal morals and ideology, and it shows the candidate does not keep good company. He's basically an untrustworthy hack at this point.

[octothorp]

Would it be a violation of election bylaws if there was a car with a candidate's sign on it parked outside a polling station? Appears to be parked permanently here, not just somebody who stopped in to vote.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Because voting for the Manning Centre is a vote against my personal morals and ideology, and it shows the candidate does not keep good company. He's basically an untrustworthy hack at this point.

I don't really understand which bad morals and ideology Manning centre is all about; but let's assume they are not to your liking. Why would you vote for a complete goof just because of that instead of, say, not voting? Again, of all the serious municipal issues facing Ward 11, Pincott found one near and dear to his heart - banning shark fin soup.

[FLAMESRULE]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I hear you but I don't believe she is though. She mostly represents the views of the vocal crowd living in Sunnyside-Hillhurst, that's it.

Which is why she's likely getting my vote...better representation for us latte sippers than suburbanites!! Inner city FTW!!

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I don't really understand which bad morals and ideology Manning centre is all about; but let's assume they are not to your liking. Why would you vote for a complete goof just because of that instead of, say, not voting? Again, of all the serious municipal issues facing Ward 11, Pincott found one near and dear to his heart - banning shark fin soup.

Hey now, I never said I wouldn't abstain. I honestly can't say how I'd vote if I was in Ward 11 (my ward is more or less uncontested..hooray...), but I'd really have to look at Pincott's voting record through the years to see where he stands.

That said, if a candidate has no voting record to go by, and the only knowledge I have of his less publicly offered ideology is affiliation with a social conservative think tank, I'm certainly not going to vote for him.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

I don't really understand which bad morals and ideology Manning centre is all about; but let's assume they are not to your liking. Why would you vote for a complete goof just because of that instead of, say, not voting? Again, of all the serious municipal issues facing Ward 11, Pincott found one near and dear to his heart - banning shark fin soup.

It's a good thing that not every "serious" issue has to be solved before we take on the smaller issues.

Besides, no one was banning shark fin soup, just the use of real shark fins, which apparently do nothing for the soup anyway (I'm not an expert on the topic, but I'll trust people like Gordon Ramsey on that).

[Knut]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Because voting for the Manning Centre is a vote against my personal morals and ideology, and it shows the candidate does not keep good company. He's basically an untrustworthy hack at this point.

Not sure I agree with that. The Manning Center is not some conveyor belt that spits out fiscal robots. Everyone is going to have different twists on it. Maxim seems to have a good grasp on the issues in my ward and exact community. He also has been in the game for many years. The developer donations thing could be explained as him being the best choice to move Pincott out of power.

Pincott, from what I hear, is not exactly that accessible. However, I do think Nenshi has down a good job and Maxim may make that job harder. Funny problem to have I guess.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by FLAMESRULE

Which is why she's likely getting my vote...better representation for us latte sippers than suburbanites!! Inner city FTW!!

The phrase "Latte Sippers" is like nails on a chalkboard for anyone outside Wards 7 and 8

[CaptainYooh]

mmmmm.... Latte....

(I wish I could be fast enough with Photoshop to make Simpson say this.)

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by Hesla

Not sure I agree with that. The Manning Center is not some conveyor belt that spits out fiscal robots. Everyone is going to have different twists on it. Maxim seems to have a good grasp on the issues in my ward and exact community. He also has been in the game for many years. The developer donations thing could be explained as him being the best choice to move Pincott out of power.

I think that's what turns people off though. The Manning Centre trains them, the developers fund them, and the end result is a councillor that surely won't bite the hand that feeds.

I don't know much about Pincott - maybe he is useless. I have no idea. But it is certainly a reason to question who a candidate will represent when they're getting a substantial backing from those that can benefit from his vote on council. I'm not naive enough to suggest that this is anything new, but it has certainly been more apparent ever since Preston Manning and his ideology got involved in civic politics this time around.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

The phrase "Latte Sippers" is like nails on a chalkboard for anyone outside Wards 7 and 8

... I think a term for suburbanites should be Yop Sippers. That drink is too appropriately symbolic for the suburban, 2.5 children, white picket fence pandemic that is currently taking place.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Muta

... I think a term for suburbanites should be Yop Sippers. That drink is too appropriately symbolic for the suburban, 2.5 children, white picket fence pandemic that is currently taking place.

I like it, and I was raised as a Yop-Sipper and have evolved to my Latte-Sipping status.

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

To James Maxim's credit, he has made his donor list public: http://www.jamesmaxim11.ca/donors/

I'm not in that ward nor following the race there, but have a look at the list and it is fairly apparent where a good chunk of change has come from.

For comparison, here is a list of Pincott's donors:

http://brianpincott.ca/images/DonationWebsite.pdf

As you can see, Maxim's list is definitely more slanted towards construction and real estate firms, but many of the same types of donors show up on the Brian's list as well. I'd be willing to bet that the majority of fundraising for alderman election campaigns across the city comes from the development industry and related industries. I'm not a fan of Wentzel and his stupid campaign against the mayor, but I am a fan of Maxim's ideas and I think he will be a far more competent voice on council than the incumbent. Especially when you consider that Pincott seems to be more concerned with issues that should be immaterial to local government (food policy, over-emphasis on environmental causes, shark fins etc).

Also, for those of you criticizing the Manning Centre, please take a look at their plan to collect and equitable share of property taxes from new suburbs. It's a very smart, non-paritsan, proposal for reforming municipal finance:

Higher property taxes for new suburbs urged by think-tank

[19Yzerman19]

Pffff... lattes are so plebeian. The truly elite inner city snob drinks exclusively imported loose leaf teas.

[CaptainYooh]

Lattes are quickly becoming a new suburban Yop–drink. All those sprawling Starbucks shops...

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by 19Yzerman19

Pffff... lattes are so plebeian. The truly elite inner city snob drinks exclusively imported loose leaf teas.

If you even step foot in Caffe Artigiano or Oolong Tea House, you are an artsy-fartsy liberal heathen with no understanding of Calgary's real issues. Hang your head in shame and reflect on your life whilst looking out over the river water from the Peace Bridge. Don't forget to vote for Kevin Taylor on your way there.

[Bigtime]

Damn, well I guess it is "A Plum Floating in Perfume in a Mans Hat" for me going forward.

[CaptainYooh]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

If you even step foot in Caffe Artigiano or Oolong Tea House, you are an artsy-fartsy liberal heathen with no understanding of Calgary's real issues. ...

Well... kinda.. yeah! Face it, most of us, working stiffs, don't have the time for it.