Calgary Civic Election Poll #2: Who do you support for Mayor?

[SebC]

Originally Posted by worth

It's kind of hard not to accept, isn't it? She basically has to or it just looks terrible on her.

Likely the strategy will be to say that she doesn't need to waste her time with "fringe candidates". Or just ingnore it and hope people don't notice.

Originally Posted by worth

Are there any opinion polls out recently to show candidate support?

I believe the first major phone poll is right around now. (Tried to Google it, and it brought me back to this thread. Bah!)

[Muta]

Brilliant move by Nenshi. He's challenging one of the mayoral favourites to a debate that he will surely look good in.

Barb probably won't do it, but if she's passionate for the top job and wanting to prove her doubters, she should show her teeth, stand up to Nenshi and accept his challenge. She could potentially sway alot of voters if she does it right.

If she turns down the challenge, I hope Nenshi challenges McIvor. Or, atleast invites him into a three-person debate with Higgins. That, I would pay money for.

[Kjesse]

I know Nenshi, and am seriously considering voting for him, and also think he's running a clever campaign. I'm also wondering where all the money is coming from for his signs and direct mailings. Something doesn't feel right that he appears to be out marketing McIver and Higgins, each of whom must have big money behind them.

Nenshi's debate challenge to Higgins was a win-win for him. She'll never do it, that would be giving Nenshi too much credit while someone like Higgins depends upon a vote split between the other outsiders to allow her popularity float her to the top. If she did do it, Nenshi would destroy her. Nenshi's only problem there is he might again look too much like an egghead.

I'm also not impressed with Nenshi's arguments on the airport tunnel, he's cherry picking facts. That's no different from any other candidate but he is trying to show he's more than them and that he considers all the pros and cons. The airport tunnel is not as easy a decision as he makes it out to be.
This leads me to not trust him as much as I typically would.

One of Nenshi's biggest positives is his focus on arts and culture, something missing from most other campaigns. Calgarians typically focus on other things like the balance sheet, and I think its due time we start putting more emphasis on the intangibles because even with councils allegedly full with fiscal conservatives, we spiral into debt and incur heavier tax burdens. At least let us enjoy our debt with a smile.

Connolly's videos are embarassing. He needs to drop out.

Burrows has run a surprisingly active and well disciplined campaign. It won't be enough, but he's earned respect I didn't have for him before. Without the media trashing him in the last election (which might have been deserved) he'd be a real force this time out. Losing to Connolly? WTF?

Hawksworth made a smart move positioning himself as the only candidate against the airport tunnel. He will get votes for that even if he's flip-flopped. But if he robo-calls me one more time I'm going to throw the heaviest payphone I can find through his campaign window. I'm at 4 and counting... (Danielle Smith take note, I've gotten a few from you too lately...)

Higgins is a wildcard. Her policies are anybody's guess. Nobody could know where she truly stands on the issues, yet she has wide support. She's a rare female in a testosterone fueled race (excluding Nenshi, lol) and that will do well for her. If she could show some real knowledge of the issues she could run away with this election. So far I think she's nothing but a talking head and am afraid she might win. I can still be swayed, she hasn't been in this very long.

McIver, go away. You had a chance for 9 years, and have made little positive impact. That was your job interview. Time to give the private sector you love so much your full attention. He's the fiscal conservative who isn't.

Alnoor Kassam, also a wildcard. Entertaining and engaging guy. Without his dark and mysterious past I'd seriously consider him.

Hehr: Forgot to talk about him. He was one of my initial front runners. I've lost his message for some reason. I don't know why he's running anymore or what he stands for. He's getting lost in the crowd. He needs a spark.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Delgar

I know Nenshi, and am seriously considering voting for him, and also think he's running a clever campaign. I'm also wondering where all the money is coming from for his signs and direct mailings. Something doesn't feel right that he appears to be out marketing McIver and Higgins, each of whom must have big money behind them.

There's probably a simple explanation: the limiting factor isn't money, but rather how long the signs have been available and how many people care enough to put in the effort to get one.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Slava

I'm an interneting person (and not old, depending on your definition I suppose!) and I think its between these two. I clearly wish that wasn't the case and have worked really hard to help a totally different candidate, but only a good poll will tell whether there is a meaningful third candidate right now.

Anyone have an idea of how many turned out to the Higgins event at noon today?

Apparently, 6-700

http://twitter.com/Crockatteer/status/23261397773

[Ducay]

So what did we get out of Barb's rally today:

Originally Posted by @Crockatteer

Jann Arden introduces Barb Higgins to an Olympic Plaza crowd of 600-700. BH promises recycling for apts, condos & townhouses.

Really......really? Thats the most important thing she had to say?

[SebC]

Originally Posted by @Crockatteer

Jann Arden introduces Barb Higgins to an Olympic Plaza crowd of 600-700. BH promises recycling for apts, condos & townhouses.

Whilst I am in favor of this, does she know that when the city first implemented the recycling program they agreed to leave the multi-family buildings to the private recyclers for 10 years?

It's the same problem as with the smoking bylaw... the city did the right thing, but with an insanely long transitional period. In the case of the smoking bylaw, the city did renege and reduced the transition period. However that was a bit different as all the places that preferred to be smoking were competing with each other and they all went non-smoking together, whereas city recycling would displace the private guys completely.

[SebC]

Apparently Higgins has decided to not debate Nenshi. Perfect follow up to missing the Calgary Leadership Forum.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Ducay

So what did we get out of Barb's rally today:




Really......really? Thats the most important thing she had to say?

Where does it say that that was her most important thing to say? Oh, I get it. You don't like her, so you've decided to put words in her mouth.

And what's so unimportant about giving us condo dwellers recycling?

[4X4]

Originally Posted by SebC

Whilst I am in favor of this, does she know that when the city first implemented the recycling program they agreed to leave the multi-family buildings to the private recyclers for 10 years?

So what about it? The city also decided not to build the airport tunnel, yet half the candidates are promising that.

[Bigtime]

I'm a condo dweller and we have recycling (private obviously), this is nothing a motivated condo board couldn't get done on their own.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Where does it say that that was her most important thing to say? Oh, I get it. You don't like her, so you've decided to put words in her mouth.

I assumed it was the most important thing that was said because that is the only news the quoted reported mentioned in her twitter report.

Since she only said one thing about the rally, one would think the reporter would discuss the most important matters discussed at said ralley.
This is on par with Barb though, defer any real policy dicussion until her campaign team can actually decide whats most popular and run with that.

Putting words in her mouth? Hardly

[SebC]

Originally Posted by 4X4

So what about it? The city also decided not to build the airport tunnel, yet half the candidates are promising that.

The difference is the city never promised a bunch of private tunnel builders that they'd give them 10 years before putting them out of business.

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I'm a condo dweller and we have recycling (private obviously), this is nothing a motivated condo board couldn't get done on their own.

True... but no recycling is a piss off to those of us who live in apartments that seem to not care about it.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Ducay

I assumed it was the most important thing that was said because that is the only news the quoted reported mentioned in her twitter report.

Since she only said one thing about the rally, one would think the reporter would discuss the most important matters discussed at said ralley.
This is on par with Barb though, defer any real policy dicussion until her campaign team can actually decide whats most popular and run with that.

Putting words in her mouth? Hardly

I'm far from a Higgins supporter, but there's a point where you just come across as a jerk and probably hurt your cause more than help it. Did you even look at the rest of the quoted person's tweets, to give the quoted one context?

http://twitter.com/Crockatteer

Originally Posted by @Crockatteer

Jann Arden introduces Barb Higgins to an Olympic Plaza crowd of 600-700. BH promises recycling for apts, condos & townhouses.

Originally Posted by @Crockatteer

The crowd applauded Barb Higgins ann'cing more audit oversight, value for money audits and council voting records posted on-line.

So Higgins gets introduced and announces one thing. It gets tweeted. Higgins announces another thing, it too gets tweeted. You're making a mountain of a molehill.

And even if you didn't bother checking to see if there was more there, you still took one person's opinion of what the most important thing was and decided that it's what Higgins herself decided to emphasize. Silly.

[Bigtime]

Heads up, at 7:40am the CBC Eyeopener (1010 AM) will have McIver, Hawkesworth, and Nenshi in studio to debate the airport tunnel.

[fredr123]

According to this, Alnoor Kassam asked local immigration lawyers Sharma Harsanyi to review his admissibility hearing from about 8 years ago: http://immlawyer.blogs.com/my_weblog...n-inquiry.html

The author reviews some of the adjudicator's findings and quotes from the decision:

Therefore, after considering the credible evidence before me, I find, based on the balance of probabilities, there has been no linkage established between Kassam's acts or omissions and the elements of the offence involving making documents without authority in Kenya.


233. Accordingly, as it has not been established by the Minister's officials that Kassam committed, based on the balance of probabilities, an act or omission that would constitute an offence in Kenya, there is no need to compare Kassam's conduct to the elements of the Canadian offences

Note that this is the same firm that represented Jackie Tran zealously in the past couple years.

I bring this up simply to note that this seems like an odd way to counter negative PR about past dealings.

[firebug]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Where does it say that that was her most important thing to say? Oh, I get it. You don't like her, so you've decided to put words in her mouth.

And what's so unimportant about giving us condo dwellers recycling?

I am surprised that more apartment dwellers aren't upset that the city does not provide them with garbage removal. However it seems that most apartment/condo's have somehow managed to find means to remove their refuse from the property.

The whole recycling frustration seems pretty trivial when they can source those services privately, just as they have been doing for garbage. ~bug

[4X4]

Originally Posted by firebug

I am surprised that more apartment dwellers aren't upset that the city does not provide them with garbage removal. However it seems that most apartment/condo's have somehow managed to find means to remove their refuse from the property.

The whole recycling frustration seems pretty trivial when they can source those services privately, just as they have been doing for garbage. ~bug

But shouldn't the City have an even greater interest in recycling? I mean, all the environmental crap aside, the City has to put all the garbage somewhere. Maybe it's just way cheaper to bury those cardboard boxes than it is to recycle them?

Or perhaps it's because they charge private waste companies to dump at the landfills, whereas they'd have to pay private recycling companies?

I don't even know how that works. Would a private company get paid for what they bring to a recycling depot like an individual with his pop cans?

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Heads up, at 7:40am the CBC Eyeopener (1010 AM) will have McIver, Hawkesworth, and Nenshi in studio to debate the airport tunnel.

What an awful debate. I've repeatedly asked Hawkesworth to explain to me how it costs $500M to dig a hole, and to explain the documents on his own website about the tunnel that indicate that road upgrades will require funding of about $350M. But he won't tell me that straight up.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by firebug

I am surprised that more apartment dwellers aren't upset that the city does not provide them with garbage removal.

The city does provide this service to apartments/condos.